I've Got the Magic in Me
by DreamonAlina
Summary: Now on S2! Elizabeth Malinor made a wish on a birthday candle to never let Merlin go. And, her wish came true, when she woke up the next morning in Camelot! With Elizabeth in the story, what will change? Better summary inside. Starts from episode 1 season 1.
1. The Dragon's Call part 1

**AN: So this is my new thought on a Merlin story. Hope you enjoy it!**

** Just so you know, Elizabeth looks like Jenna-Louise Coleman.**

**Sypnopsis: Elizabeth Malinor is a huge fan of the show Merlin. What happens when one day, she wakes up in the world of Merlin? And a part of King Uther's court, no less! Come with her and see how she reacts to the events that she knows will unfold. But Elizabeth gains something that could lead to some trouble in Camelot! What could it be?**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE**

**Enjoy!**

**Elizabeth's POV**

"EMMA! GET DOWN HERE OR I'M STARTING THE LAST EPISODE OF MERLIN WITHOUT YOU!" I shouted across the hall to my flatmate, Emma Johnson.

"All right, I'm here!" She jumps onto the sofa next to me, and hands me a box of chinese noodles.

I laugh. "What a way to spend a birthday! Noodles, and the very last episode of Merlin." **(fun fact I actually watched the last episode on my birthday, January 27th. Wasn't the best way to begin a birthday.)** I say, and knock my noodle box against hers.

We turned on the recording we made, (as we were both out of town for Christmas when the actual episode aired, and it's a tradition since we met that we'd watch every single new episode of Merlin together) and start to eat.

We were cheering when Emrys killed everyone that Morgana had sent out, but soon enough we were both in tears. And we were in tears the entire episode. Well, except when Merlin ran a sword through Morgana. We both literally cheered. But we both especially lost it at the end, when Arthur died. I just, I couldn't imagine a world were Arthur Pendragon does not exist. I just, I can't.

At the end of the episode, I sit there with a blank look on my face, like it hasn't dawned on me that that was the very last episode of Merlin that would air. Emma had started to clean up, but I just sat there. When she got back, she was holding a cupcake. I snapped back to reality when she lit the candle on top, and handed it to me.

"Happy Birthday, Liz. Make it a good one."

I sit back and think. Then I look back to the TV, where I had just let go of another great adventure. One of which, I didn't want to let go of.

So I took a deep breath, and wished on the inside, 'I wish that Merlin would come back to me, and be close to my heart forever.' Then I blew out the candle.

"What did you wish for?" Emma asked.

I laugh. "You can't tell! Your wish doesn't come true if you do." I hop off of the sofa. "I'm off to bed. I have Tanner in the morning."

Emma gives me a pitying look."Ooh, good luck."

"I know right?" I called behind me. I go into my room, and crawl into bed. I look across to my Merlin poster, and actually hope a little that my childish dream would come true. Then I succumbed to sleep.

...

When I drifted back to conciousness, I knew something was up.

First off, my pillow was way too fluffy, considering my apparment pillows suck, because I'm a poor college student. My sheets were way soft, and they were usually scratchy (I'm a really poor college student), and I wasn't wearing my shorts and tank top anymore. I felt like I was wearing some sort of dress, but I wouldn't be sure unless I saw.

Just as I was about to slowly open my eyes, I saw a flash of white and gasped at the suddenness of it.

I hear a small gasp, and "I'm so sorry, my Lady, I thought that you were already awake."

My Lady? What the eff was up with that?

I rub my eyes and push myself up. My eyes focus on the one other person in the room, and my eyes widen. Angel Coulby was standing in front of me. "Angel?" I ask.

Angel laughs. "How bad was your fall yesterday? Did you lose your memory? I'm Guinevere, remember now?"

I felt the whole world crashing around me. I lifted my hand to my head, where, sure enough, a white bandage was. "Yeah, I remember..." I mumble.

Gwen gently helps me out of bed, and helps me change. I'm still confused as eff when she laces me up into a deep purple dress.

"You look trouble, my Lady." There she goes with the 'My Lady' thing again! "Did you have another nightmare?"

I look at her funny. "Nightmare?" As in the kind that Morgana used to have? As in what signifies that she has MAGIC?

She nods. "Yes. Morgana had one last night. You'll need to add another tally to her list." She says after she pulls my hair back with a simple comb.

Morgana? I nod numbly. "Yeah."

Gwen looks at me worriedly. "All right, now I'm concerned. Do you need me to fetch Gaius? He said that the injury wasn't so bad, maybe he was wrong..."

I turn my attention to her. "No, no! I'm fine."

She gently taps my shoulder. "Is it because King Uther is executing someone again this morning?"

Executing? Uther? Call me crazy, but I think I may be in the Merlin universe.

Yup, I'm crazy.

I look at Gwen gingerly. "Where am I?"

She sighs. "You're in Camelot. That's it, I'm getting Gaius." She leaves to get him, but I grab her arm.

"Guinevere, really, I'm fine. It's just the execution today. I still don't see why Uther insists that I attend them." I say, looking back into the mirror. Okay, I need a game plan. What was I doing here? Did my wish actually work? And if it did, who am I supposed to be?

"Maybe since your father and mother died of magic, he thinks that it's a reminder to you of why magic is evil." Gwen says. She looks outside. "I'm sorry, my Lady, I must go and help Morgana." She bows, and leaves.

I look back into the mirror, and drag my hands gently through my hair. So if Uther is executing someone this morning, my best bet is that this is the pilot episode, The Dragon's Call.

The Dragon! That's it! He should know something about why I'm here. I mean, doesn't mean that he'll exactly help, but I have to try!

I get out of the chair and run to the door. I shut it behind me, and tried to remember the directions to the cave where the Dragon was located. Well, they didn't exactly give directions. I groan and throw my hands to the side. Then I hear footsteps behind me, and turn around. And who should I see but Uther himself.

He actually looks happy to see me. I must be a part of his court if everybody I passed in the corridor kept bowing to me and calling me "My Lady." That, and he's looking at me like I'm not a peasant.

"Ah! Elizabeth." He says, and takes me into a hug.

Well, at least my name is the same. "My Lord." I say, and awkwardly hug him back. He pulls away, and gingerly kisses my forehead. Okay, weird. I know I'm not his daughter, because Gwen mentioned earlier how both my parents died.

"You were on your way to the execution, right?" He asks, and takes my hand.

I nod. "I was." Then we begin walking. I must have been walking kinda stiffly, because Uther sighs.

"Elizabeth, I know that you don't like these executions, as Morgana doesn't. That is another point on how you two are alike." he says, chuckling to himself about that last bit. Alike? She was an evil witch! No way was I like her! "But as your guardian, I need you and the people to see that there is no room for magic in Camelot." He continues.

Guardian? Good, I'm getting more info here. I nod. "Though I don't share your views, my Lord. I still don't agree with it."

He sighs again. "I didn't think you would. Even after your mother and father were killed by magic."

I heave a heavy sigh in. Even though I have no idea who my supposed mother and father are supposed to be, he didn't have to pull that. "I understand my Lord." I say, as we get closer to the balcony of the castle. I let go of his hand. I spot Morgana (AKA Katie McGrath), where she should be in the episode, and go to stand with her. As soon as she sees me, she wraps her arms around me. "Oh, Lizzie..."

So Morgana calls me Lizzie. I hug her back, since I actually liked Season 1 and 2 Morgana. "I know." I say back.

From the postion my head was, I was staring out the window where the execution was taking place. And, sure enough, I saw a red neckerchiefed Colin Morgan staring up at the man on the makeshift stage, where he was about to be beheaded. I knew it was coming, so I squeezed my eyes shut before I could see.

Uther spoke up. "When I came to this land, this Kingdom, was mild in chaos. But with the people's help, magic was driven from the lands, so I declare a festival, to celebrate twenty years since the Great Dragon was captured, and Camelot freed from the evil of sorcery." He put his hands up. "Let the celebrations begin."

I kept my anger in as I pulled away from Morgana. The hypocrite! He's the one that struck a deal with Nimueh to concieve Arthur by magic!

Then the mother of the man that was executed cried out, calling everyone's attention to her. "There is only one evil in this land, and it is not magic! It is you! And your hatred, and your ignorance. You took my son!" She wept. "And I promise you, before these celebrations are over, you will share my tears. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! A son for a son!" Oh, hell no, she is not going anywhere near Arthur!"

Uther pointed at the woman. "Seize her!"

Before anyone could do anything, she uttered a spell and disappeared.

Morgana closed the window, and took my hand. Then we started walking down the hall, to where I presumed her chambers were. I internally sigh. When am I ever gonna be left alone to go meet that stupid Dragon!

**Third person POV**

After the crowd had dispatched, the young sorcerer feared for his life. Why, out of all places, had he chosen to come to Camelot? The place where all types and any types of magic are banned?

He shrugged the thought off and went in search of Gaius, the court physician, whom he would be required to stay with in Camelot, as requested by his mother.

He went up to a few guards, and asked, "Where would I find Gaius, the court physician?" One of them pointed in the direction, and off Merlin went.

He knocked on Gaius' door. "Hello?" He called out, and entered the room. His eyes widened in amazement of all the herbs and potions in the room.

He walked further into the room, until he found the old physician. "Gaius?" He cleared his throat.

Gaius turned around, and the second floor from which he was standing gave out, causing him to go falling to the floor.

As if on instinct, Merlin's eyes flashed gold as he used his magic to catch Gaius in mid-air, move the bed under Gaius, and let the man fall on top of it.

Gaius panicked as he got up "Wha-what did you just do?" He stammered.

Merlin panicks as well. "Umm.."

"Tell me!" Gaius demanded.

"Well..." Merlin had muttered.

"If anyone had seen that," Gaius continued.

"No! That had nothing to do with me."Merlin had insisted.

"I know what it was!" Gaius exclaimed, causing Merlin to look at him bewildered."I just want to know where you learned how to do it!"

"No where!" Merlin answered.

"So how is it that you know magic?" Gaius asked.

"I don't!" Merlin insisted.

"Where did you study?" Gaius persisted. Merlin paused. "Answer me!" he demanded.

That caused Merlin to pop an answer out. "I've-I've never studied magic, or-or been taught." he stammered.

"Are you lying to me, boy?" Gaius asked.

"What do you want me to say?" Merlin asks.

"The truth!"

"I was born like this." Merlin confessed.

"That's impossible." Gaius dismissed. He looked around, then back at Merlin. "Who are you?"

"Oh!" Merlin said, digging into his pack. "I have this letter." He takes it out and hands it to Gaius.

Gaius sighs. "I don't have my glasses."

"I'm Merlin." says the sorcerer.

Gaius looks surprised. "Hunith's son?" He exclaims.

Merlin smiles in relief. "Yes!"

"But you're not meant to be here till Wednesday!"

Merlin's smile fades. "It-it _is_ Wednesday." He says slowly.

"Ah." Gaius says. "Right then. You better put your bag there." Gaius points, and Merlin complies. He turns around mid-step. "You wouldn't say anything about..." Merlin gestures to the broken stairwell and bed.

Gaius shakes his head. "No."

Merlin gives a small smile in thanks, and leaves to the bedroom where Gaius had previously pointed to. "Although, Merlin." Gaius calls out, stoppng him. "I should say 'thank you'."

They exchange small smiles, and Merlin goes inside the bedroom.

...

**Elizabeth's POV**

Morgana decided that she needed a breather from the feast, and asked me to take a walk with her, and I complied. Over the time that I've been with her, I learned that my mother's name was Alianor, and my father's name was Rowan. They were both killed when they were out for a ride by the Druids. (I knew no good came out of Mordred and his kind!) Rowan was a trusted Knight of Camelot, and a good friend to Uther, which caused Uther to take me in when I was thirteen years old.

We had stopped by the window where Morgana previously stood, and stared out it. I let her collect her thoughts, while I try to collect mine. How was I going to talk to the dragon when there was always people around me? And, more importantly, when do I get to meet Arthur?

I hear a door open and close, and turn my head to see Uther approaching us. I looked back to Morgana, who still had her eyes trained outside.

"Morgana. Elizabeth." Uther spoke.

"Yes?" We both answered.

"What is this? Why aren't the both of you joining us at the feast?" He asked.

Morgana smiled coyly. "I just don't think chopping someone's head off is a cause of celebration." Uther sighed. Wow, he does that a lot, doesn't he?

I looked out the window, where the axe still stood. "That poor mother..." I uttered.

"It was a simple justice to what he had done." He said firmly.

"To whom?" Morgana said, defending me. "He practiced magic. He didn't hurt anyone."

Morgana had barely finished speaking when Uther began to talk. "You both weren't around twenty years ago, you have no idea what it was like."

I gently scoff. "How long are you going to keep punishing people for what happened then?"

"Until they realize that there is no room for magic in my Kingdom." Uther says, raising his voice a little. I slightly flinch, but Morgana just stands there like a badass. "You will both be with my when I greet Lady Helen." He begins to walk off.

"We told you, we want no part of these-" Morgana said, speaking for the both of us when Uther interrupted her.

"I am your guardian!" He says, turning back to face us. "I expect you to do as I ask. You show me no respect but I at least respect our finest singer." And he began to stalk off again.

I couldn't take it anymore. "You know the more brutal you are the more enemies you'll create!" I call after him. After he shuts the door behind him, I sigh. "I feel like his puppet." I say to Morgana, and she snickered.

She turns to face me. "That's all everybody ever is." She turns back to the door. "Uther's puppet."

**TBC...**

**That's part one! Make sure to tell me if you think it's good!**

**Part two will definetly be up tomorrow.**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	2. The Dragon's Call part 2

**AN: And here is part 2!**

**P.S some things are original, but that's because I need them there to introduce more character and to hopefully help this story flow better.**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN IS NOT MINE**

**Enjoy!**

I'm not sure if I'm in a dream, since it seemed so real. Arthur was there, in the dining hall, and the knife was thrown at him. I could only watch, because my feet wouldn't move, no matter how hard I commanded them. Then I heard a familiar voice, although it sounded distant. "Elizabeth Malinor..." I actually clutched at my ears, trying to find a way to shut it off.

I looked up, and the knife was about to lodge itself into Arthur, and Merlin was no where to be found. I couldn't keep it in anymore. I screamed. "NO!"

"No!" I screamed over and over again. I felt someone shaking me, and I awoke with a gasp, sweat staining my goosebumped skin. Gwen was leaning over me, her face full of worry. When she saw that I was awake, she took me in her arms. I clutched at her back, and tried to take deep breaths, although they came in and out raggedly.

"It's alright, my Lady." Gwen soothed, patting my hair and rubbing my back. I finally calmed down. "How bad was it?" She asked.

"Oh, Gwen, it was awful!" I moaned.

"Well, Gaius should have another draught ready for you. We can get it from him."

I nod, and Gwen helps me get ready again, this time into a beautiful blue dress with matching shoes, and does my hair in a braid. As I leave my room, I catch Morgana. She sees me and smiles, then links her arm through mine, and we begin walking in the direction to where I assume the dining hall was.

"So. Any nightmares for you?" She asked.

I nod. "Pretty bad."

She smiles sympathetically, and leans her head on my shoulder. "Hopefully the get better, and not worse. I feel like mine are getting worse."

We walk in, and my breath hitches, but I'm proud to say that I didn't stumble, or show an sort of reaction. I just made my way over to the seat next to Morgana. The reason my breath hitched, was because the one and only Bradley James, AKA Arthur Pendragon was in the room.

I'm pretty sure that if I spoke, my voice would come out as a squeak, so I stay pretty quiet during breakfast, which was delicious by the way. Strange how food now can taste so different.

"Elizabeth?" Uther calls on me.

I look up from my plate, and clear my throat. "Yes?"

"You're rather quiet this morning." He stated.

Crap! Was I supposed to talk a lot? That was weird, considering that I refused to speak to anyone back home.

_Home_, and with a pang of guilt, I realize that I hadn't thought about home at all the day that I've been here. I ignore the stab, and answer Uther. "I'm just not feeling very well this morning."

Uther gets a look of worry on his face. "Should you see Gaius?"

What was it with these people and sending me to see a doctor? "No, I'm sure it'll pass. If not, I'll go see Gaius."

"You should." Arthur speaks up. I swallow, and turn to face him. "If you're feeling ill, you should see him."

I try to ignore my beating heart. "I told you, I am _fine_. Really. I just feel a little tired, that's all."

Uther's face grows grave. "Did you have another nightmare?" he asks.

I nod. "Yes." I look at my food, and realize that I'm not hungry anymore. "If you'll excuse me, I'm not that hungry after all." I stand up, bow to Uther, and quickly walk out.

This was a good time as any to look for where the Dragon was kept. And that was not an easy thing to do, considering this castle, is HUGE. By the time I actually find my way back to the entrance, I'm convinced that I need somebody to make me a map.

I lean against a wall to take a breather. When I saw Arthur starting to throw the knives at that boy, I realize that this was the scene where Arthur and Merlin first meet, and I run over to where they are to try and stop Arthur (okay so maybe it was to watch the actual scene) but I was too late, and some guards were already dragging Merlin away. I sigh. "Who was that?"

Arthur turns his head at me. "Just some boy. Thought he was really tough." And he laughed with his knight friends.

"Oh, so that gives you an excuse to be a prat? Honestly Arthur, I would have thought that you would have controlled your ego by now." And I stalked off. Man, I forgot how much of a jerk season 1 Arthur was.

I would have gone straight to Gaius' chambers to tell him about Merlin, but somebody found me and told me that Morgana was looking for me.

I went to her chambers, (I remembered where it was from the day before) and walked in. "Somebody told me you wanted to see me?" I say, sitting on her bed while she sits infront of the vanity mirror.

She smiles at me. "Ah, yes! Lady Helen is going to be here soon, and I wanted to know if you were attending."

I sigh. "I kind of have to. Uther will have my head if I'm not there. And I'm pretty sure he'd have yours if you weren't there, too."

She sighed. "That's what I figured."

...

Morgana, Arthur, Gwen and I were all present when the Lady Helen made her arrival. Of course, I was the only one who knew that it wasn't the actual Lady Helen, but I couldn't make thos accusations without any proof, which this show has taught me time and again.

She walked in, and walked straight to Uther. "Lady Helen," He said, getting up from the throne to meet her halfway. "Thank you so much for coming to sing at our celebrations."

She bows. "Pleasure's all mine."

"How was your journey?" he asked.

She giggles a little, and sighed. "The time it took, Sire."

Uther took her hands in his and raised them to his lips. "Well it's always worth the wait."

"It will be." She says, touching her necklace, and it's taking everything in me not to yell out that she was the old woman whose son Uther had executed.

Well, as River Song would say: Spoilers.

...

Since I had to have dinner with the Lady Helen last night, I didn't exactly have the time to go to Gaius and tell him about Merlin. But the morning after, I woke up, quickly changed, insisted to Gwen that I wasn't hungry, and to please explain that to Uther, and went over to Gaius' chambers. I knocked on the door, a little excited, since I was about to meet the actual Gaius, and he was the second last main cast character that I had to meet. Isn't insane that the only one I haven't met yet is Merlin?

"Come in." Gaius called. I took a deep breath, and walked in.

His face brightens when he sees me. "Ah! Liz! Are you here for your draught? Because I have prepared one, that I was going to send through Merlin..." he mumbled, clearly forgetting that I'm supposed to have no idea who Merlin is.

"No, that's not it. It's that boy of yours. Merlin?" Gaius' head snaps up with worry, probably because he fears that Merlin's secret was found out. "What about him?"

I almost laugh at the look on Gaius' face. "Well, Arthur was being Arthur and threw the poor boy in jail. Just wanted to let you know before I get him out."

Gaius sighs in relief, and comes with me to get Merlin out. I had to talk to Uther first, and he complied, but insisted that Merlin have some sort of punishment, which I had to agree with. I was really following Gaius' lead, since I still haven't really found my way through the whole castle yet.

Gaius and I come to his cell, where Merlin's head was pretty much connected to the ground. "Merlin!" Gaius called, stepping into the cell.

Merlin quickly got up, and I'm overwhelmed with the thought of finally meeting the star of the show, Merlin.

"You never cease to amaze me!" Gaius stated, slightly pacing. "The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you do? You behave like an idiot."

I try to contain a laugh, since Gaius was being a little unfair to him. "I'm sorry." Merlin replied.

"You're lucky," Gaius continued. "I managed to pull a few strings to get you released."

Merlin's face gets really excited, which I try really hard not to fangirl over. "Oh! Thank you! And what kind of strings?"

I choose this moment to walk in. "Like how he's lucky to be very close to the King." I stand beside Gaius, and extend my hand to him. "I'm Elizabeth."

Merlin looks at my hand in wonder, probably thinking 'Why on earth is she doing that? Aren't I supposed to bow or something?'

I laugh at the look on his face. "It's a hand Merlin. You're supposed to shake it."

He snaps back to his senses and grasps my hand gently. "Right! So, I owe you for getting me out?"

I release his hands. "Well, it didn't come without a price."

...

I laughed as I saw Merlin get pelted with food in the stocks. At first I tried to conceal them, but then I just lose it and laugh right along with Gaius.

After the kids go to reload, I decided that the coast was clear and walked to Merlin. "I'm sorry you have to be punished for Arthur's ego. Really, it's too big for a person of his size."

Just as I finish saying this, Guinevere walks up to us. I smile at her. "Hello, Gwen."

She smiles at me, and gives a small bow. "My Lady." Then she turns to Merlin. "I'm Guinevere, but, as you can see, most people call me Gwen. I'm the Ladies Elizabeth and Morgana's maid."

"Right," Merlin said, trying hard to cover his blush, but to no avail. "I'm Merlin." He tries to extend his hand to shake Gwen's, and it ends up as an awkward handshake. "But most people call me idiot."

Guinevere looks at him in disbelief. "No, no, I saw what you did. It was so brave."

That caused Merlin to smile and blush again. "It was stupid."

"Well, I'm glad you walked away, because you weren't going to beat him."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. "That's very nice, Guinevere. Way to keep his self esteem up." I chose that as my moment to leave, and let them continue the scene themselves. I still needed a strategy to find that Dragon!

...

After I heard a commotion coming from the square, I realized that this was the scene where Merlin and Arthur actually fight. I come at the end of the battle (dammit, always at the end), just as the Guards were about to take Merlin away. Dammit, this was my favourite scene of the whole show too! "Arthur!" I shouted, getting his attention. I give him a pleading look, as if to say, 'Just let the boy go.'

Arthur sighs, then turns to the guards to tell them to let Merlin go. After Merlin leaves, Arthur gives me a look and shouts, "You happy now?"

I laugh and mock-curtsy. "Yes!"

He laughs too, and goes back to his friends. I smile to myself. Maybe I'm not too bad at this flirting thing after all!

...

I was afraid that if I went to sleep that night, that I would have a nightmare, so instead, I roamed the castle. All sneakily of course. I wouldn't want the guards to find out and then report me to Uther.

I was about to round the corner by Gaius' chambers when I hear the door open. I quickly duck behind a wall, and see Merlin starting to walk off.

Right! This was the scene where he found the Great Dragon! Thinking that this would be my only oppertunity to actually try and find the cave, I quickly and quietly follow Merlin. The good thing about these slippers, they keep you quiet as a mouse.

I keep following Merlin, and try to stick to the shadows when I feel like he knows he's being followed. After we get closer to the opening of the cave, I go to a sperate wall part and hide there until Merlin and the Dragon are finished. After I see an angry Merlin leave, I make sure that he's far away enough before I start walking. In the dark. Maybe I should have grabbed a torch or something too.

By touch of the wall, I find the opening. "Hello?" I shout into the darkness. "Oh Great Dragon?!" I grow frustrated when there's still silence. "Okay, don't even pretend like you aren't there, because I know you were talking to Merlin a few minutes ago."

I feel a whoosh of air as the Dragon comes down. Since I didn't grab anything to give light, he lights a small fire, small enough to not be detected and big enough that we can see eachother.

"Ah, the young Dimension traveller." He said, settling on a rock.

I sigh. "Good, so we don't need introductions. I need to know how to get out of here, and I know that you can help me."

He shakes his head. "Unfortunately for you, I cannot do this."

I lift my shoulder. "Why not?"

"Because you have not accomplished what you have come here for!" He said.

I make a 'go-on' gesture. "So, what am I here for?"

"To fufill your destiny, of course. You are intertwined with Camelot's fate." He answered.

I panic. "No no no. This show is about Merlin's destiny, not mine. I don't need to be here."

He shakes his head. "But you do. Your fate is combined with the young warlock's and the Once and Future King's."

"But how?" I insist.

"That is what you need to find out. And until you do, you must remain here."

"But why! I have a life back home. Family, friends, all probably wondering where I am!"

"Do not worry, young Dimension Traveller. I have had everything in your world paused since your disappearance."

I groan. This guy has really thought of everything, hasn't he? "Well, how long until I find out what my destiny is?"

"That is an answer you must seek yourself, for that is what your journey is for." He gets off of the rock and goes to fly away.

"Hey! Wait! That doesn't answer my question! Hey! GET THE HELL BACK HERE! YOU GOT ME INTO THIS MESS, SO YOU GET ME OUT!" But he was already too far gone. "Damn vague Dragon..." I mutter under my breath, and I heard chuckling.

Oh, so he hears _that?_

...

The next day, I lay on Morgana's bed in her room while she decides what to wear to the feast. I keep pondering about what the Dragon had said. How is my destiny connected to Merlin's and Arthur's? I'd call the Dragon insane, but he's actually really wise. Stupid facts!

I hear footsteps, and assume that Guinevere must be coming back. I sit up on the bed, only to see Merlin, where I remember that this was the scene where he imitated Gwen!

He didn't see me, and I didn't want to ruin the moment, so I went and hid behind her dresser.

"You know Lizzie, I've been thinking about Arthur." She says. I cover my mouth to stop a snort escaping from me. Merlin wasn't going to imitate Gwen, he was going to imitate me!

Now I'm definitely glad I hid!

I saw Merlin's face grow into one of awe when he sees Morgana. I feel my heart break a little on the inside. Despite the whole fact that Merlin was Morgana's doom, I actually wanted them to get together, since honestly, they'd be so cute!

She walks behind the screen. "Pass me that dress, will you Lizzie?"

Merlin looks like he's going to panic and goes to grab the dress. "I mean, the man's a total jouster." She says, starting to take her dress off. "Just because you are Lady of Camelot, doesn't mean that you have to accompany him to the feast."

My mouth drops open. She's actually defending me? Wait, I thought that Arthur was supposed to accompany _Morgana_ to the feast. Turns out I'm changing more than I thought. "Does it?"

Merlin quickly puts the dress a top of the screen. "Well, does it?" Morgana asks, a little more insistent.

"Umm-mm." Merlin says, in a falied attempt at my voice. I tried so hard to keep my laugh in, I think I almost collapsed to the floor. He stands in the middle of the room and begins to panic, and I just stay where I am.

Oh I am such a horrible person.

"If he wants you to go, he should invite you." Morgana says matter of factly. "And he hasn't, has he?"

Merlin quickly makes a "Hmm-mmm." noise in the back of his throat. I love how he assumes that Arthur didn't ask me. Well, it's true, he didn't. "So do you know what that means?"

Merlin makes a noise as if to ask, 'What?'.

"Where are you?" Morgana asks from behind the screen.

Merlin quickly grabs the dark blue dress from a chair and lifts it up. "Here." He says in a high voice. Hey! I don't sound like that! Wait, do I?

"It means _I'll_ be going with you." She says, and my heart warms. She would be willing to accompany me to the feast? See, this is why I loved Season 1 Morgana.

Merlin turns to leave, but Morgana says, "I need some help with this fastening." And Merlin goes into a full blown panic. I decide that I've had my fun and come out from my hiding place.

"Of course." I pass Merlin, who's eyes are wide and somewhat accusatory. I give him a smile and nod my head to the door. He gives me a relieved smile, and runs out as I go behind the screen to fasten Morgana's dress.

We come out, and she goes straight to the mirror. "So, it's whether I wear this little tease," She twirls, and then grabs another dress off the table. "Or give them a night they'll really remember." And she strikes a pose.

I laugh. "I think you should give them a night to remember. It'll be good for them." And we giggle together. Man, I was actually having fun!

...

After Gwen helps Morgana get ready, she comes to my chambers to help me get ready. She helps me into a gold, sleevless dress, and matching slippers. Then, she does my hair into a half up-do, and puts a flower pin in my hair. She makes my eyes a smokey gold, and tints my lips pink. I look into the mirror in awe. "Thank you, Gwen. I look amazing."

She smiles. "It's easy when you don't have to work hard."

I stand up and give her a hug. "Thank you so much."

I hear a knock at the door. "Come in." I called, in entered Uther, holding a small red box.

He looks at me, and I swear he gets a few tears in his eyes. He kisses my forehead. "You look simply beautiful."

I nod my head to him. "Thank you, my Lord."

He hands me the box, and I take it. "This is for you. From your father. It was his mother's. He wanted me to give it to you in case something happened to him." Slight tears welled up again at the thought of his dead, loyal old friend.

I smile up at him, and open the box to reveal a beautiful, circlet. It was gold, with gold wires twisted all around it, and little gold leaves attached to it. I feel tears well up in my eyes, though I'm not really sure why. "It's beautiful, Sire." I say, and hand it to Gwen to put on my head.

Uther kisses my forehead again, and walks out. I turn back to the mirror, and fiddle with my hair. Gwen had fitted the circlet on top so that it sat on the up part of my hair. I continued to fiddle until Gwen laughed. "You look absolutely beautiful. Now, I think you're stalling, so let's go."

I turn nervously to her, but I don't let it show. "Okay then." And we walk out of the room. Morgana and I were going together, so she was waiting for me outside my chambers. We walked to the Hall, and she headed inside first. You could hear silent gasps as she walked in. Then it was my turn. I swallowed all my courage and walked in. The reaction I had gotten was not one I had expected at all. There was _literal_ silence, and I'm pretty sure a few people had dropped their goblets. I look over to where Arthur and his Knight friends were, and I swear I saw him mumble, "God have mercy."

Wait, he was supposed to say that when Morgana walked in. Oh well. At least he wasn't talking about his half sister. When I rewatched this episode after I found out that they were siblings, I died of laughter. But back to the real point. Exactly how much was changing?

I raised my head, and with the rest of the courage that I had left, walked up to Arthur. His friends had disassembled, so it was just him and me.

"You look...beautiful." He stammered.

I smile and blush. "You clean up pretty nice too." And we both laugh. He holds his arm out, and I take it. We walk over to the table, and Arthur holds my chair out for me. I must say, I am enjoying the 'Chivalry isn't dead' part of my journey quite a lot.

The trumpets sounded, and we all stood up, taking our places for when Uther walked in.

"We have enjoyed, 20 years of peace and prosperity. It has brought to the Kingdom and myself, many pleasures. But few can compare to the honor of introducing Lady Helen, of Mora!" Uther announced.

We all clapped, but I kept my hands ready to bring them to cover my ears as soon as the old witch started her song. We sat down, and she began to sing.

I feel fine for the first few minutes, so I don't bring my hands up and make myself look like a fool in front of all the important people in Camelot.

Around me, people were starting to succumb to the song, and fell asleep. Arthur looked like he was being affected too. I finally put my hands to my ears, and turn my head to look at Merlin. I give him a questioning look and mouth, "Do something!"

I know he wouldn't risk using magic in front of someone of the Royal court, but the pleading look in my eye probably convinced him to do it. Merlin used his magic to cut the chandlier from the celing that Lady Helen was standing under, and it came crashing to her head. She fell to the ground.

Merlin took his hands away from his ears, so I assumed I was safe to do so as well. We looked around at everybody, and they seemed to start waking up. Merlin looked back at me, with a pleading look on his face. I brought my finger to my lips, crossed my hands over my chest, then pointed to my chest, a gesture that I hoped he had precieved as I wouldn't tell his secret. He did, because he sighed in relief.

Uther stood up after pulling the cobwebs off of him, to see Lady Helen on the floor. Only, it wasn't Lady Helen anymore. It was the man's mother, who was trying to avenge her son. I stood up, as did Morgana, and she grasped my hand, which I squeezed.

She used the rest of her strength to grab the knife off of the ground. I realized what she was about to do, and screamed, "No!", gripping Morgana's hand harder.

Just like in my dream.

But to my relief, when I looked, Merlin had already pulled Arthur out of the way. I sighed in relief.

Uther and Arthur both turn to Merlin, who just looks like he's accessing the damage, as if he was looking at his totaled car. "You saved my boy's life." Uther said, his face full of graciousness. "A debt must be repaid."

Merlin starts to protest. "No, well..."

"No, don't be modest." Uther protested. "You will be rewarded."

"Honestly, you don't have too." Merlin continued.

"No, absolutely. This merits something special."

Merlin looked like he was actually considering it. "Well..."

"You will be given a postion in the Royal Household. You shall be Prince Arthur's manservant." Uther states.

I tried not to burst out laughing at the look on Arthur's face. It was even better in person! "Father!" He argued.

Everybody started clapping, so Morgana and I joined in. I looked back at the boys, and saw that Merlin and Arthur looked at eachother for a second, then looked away, both clearly disgusted. That's when I actually laughed, which Arthur heard. I quickly cover it up with a cough, but by the glare on his face it's clear that he heard me.

Okay, so maybe life around here won't be so bad...

...

After the feast, I'm sitting in my chambers, running a brush through my hair. I had already changed into my night gown, so I dismissed Gwen for the evening.

I hear a knock at the door, and turn my head. "Come in." I called out, then turned back to the mirror.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Merlin walk in, holding a small vial of something. "This is for you." He says, putting it on the dresser. "Gaius said it was your draught."

I nod to him. "Thank you for bringing it."

I could tell that Merlin wanted to bring up the part about me seeing his magic, but he was too afraid to. I sigh, get up, run to the door to check if the coast is clear, then shut the door. I wander further into the huge chamber, as far from the door as I can. "I meant what I, well, gestured. I'm not going to tell anyone."

"Why not?" He asked, clearly confused. "If Uther finds out that you knew..."

I sigh. "Merlin. I saw you save Arthur. I was there, remember?" I tap my head. "You saved the life of someone that is really important to me. I can't repay you for that, but I can try to. And by trying, I won't tell your secret. That, and you used magic to _save_ everybody, not try to destroy them. Now," I turn to my door. "It has been an eventful night, and I am tired. And you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. Arthur _really _likes to break in new servants."

Merlin groans, then smiles. "Good night, my Lady." Then he begins to leave.

"Just Elizabeth! Or Lizzie, or Liz." I call after him.

Merlin pauses at the door. "Good night, Lizzie." he says, then leaves. I smile to myself, then go over to the draught. I quickly drink it, and then crawl into the soft covers. So my pilot episode went okay. Let's just see how well Valiant goes then...

**TBC**

**Wow, that was LONG, eh? Sorry, Canadian.**

**Let me know what you thought of the little changes I made!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	3. Valiant part 1

**AN: Hey guys!**

**I am SO SUPER GLAD that you all like my story! I was a bit sketchy at first, but it's proven good!**

**Lizzie's outfits are posted on my Polyvore! The link for that is on my profile :)**

**Lovely poster by grapejuice101! Thanks so much!**

**And this story was totally different when I first thought of it! Like, Elizabeth was supposed to be Merlin's best friend from his village, not a part of the Court! I've had to work around that part, but I'm glad I went through with it!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN IS NOT MINE.**

**Enjoy!**

Elizabeth's POV

Out of the few days that I've been here in Camelot, I never awake early on my own. Either Gwen wakes me up, or I wake up from a nightmare. But this morning, I woke up epspecially early. And the reason was, I was going to watch Merlin and Arthur's first training session.

This was always one of my favourite scenes, so I knew that I'd be so angry if I missed out on it, especially since I missed out on my favourite scenes from episode 1.

Gwen quickly helped me change into a red dress, I had a bit of breakfast in my chambers (but only because Gwen had insisted) and I was running to the training grounds. Well, I was running as best as I could in this dress.

I skidded to a stop, when I saw Merlin putting on the last of his armour. I almost did an air fist-bump. Yes! I wasn't too late!

"Ready?" Arthur asked, clearly amused with the fact that Merlin couldn't even hold a sword.

"Would it make any difference if I said no?" Merlin asked.

"Not really." Arthur said, swinging the sword. I rolled my eyes. It was probably to make himself look big and strong.

"Body." Arthur said, swinging at Merlin's body, which he clumsily tried to block. "Shield. Body. Shield. Head." Arthur said.

"Head?" Merlin asked worriedly, and the sword swung against his helmet. I stifled a laugh, although I felt bad for the poor boy, knowing how much pain he'd be in later.

Arthur chuckled. "Come on _Mer_lin you're not even trying." And he swings his sword to hit Merlin in his backside.

I roll my eyes. They are clearly making it super easy for Tumblr to keep making those photos and fanficitons of them together.

Arthur repeatedly swung the sword at Merlin, when I decided that the poor boy deserved a break. I looked around me, until I found a mace that was laying by the weapons that Arthur intended to train with.

I made a move to grab it, and tried to lift it off the floor. Damn, was it _heavy._ For once I'm glad that Emma had dragged me to the gym.

I went behind Arthur, and said "Body."

I couldn't see his face, but I could hear his confused voice go, "Body?"

Then, with all my strength, I swung the mace where I knew his armour was, so that he wouldn't get hurt too bad.

He still got hurt though, and he actually fell to the ground. I burst into laughter, and I'm pretty sure Merlin was trying really hard not to as well.

"What was that for?" Arthur groaned from the ground, getting up.

I shrug. "I was helping you train. You need to know if people are coming from behind you. People are very sneaky." I dropped the mace and helped Arthur up.

"What are you even doing here? Shouldn't you be with Morgana? Braiding each other's hair or whatever it is you girls do." Arthur says, rubbing his shoulder.

I look at him in disbelief. "Is that what you think girls do all day?"

He shrugs. "Give or take."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. I'll let you get back to swinging your sword around."

He nods, and turns back to Merlin. "Don't be too hard on the boy. Who knows. He might be a keeper."

Arthur turns around. "And what is that,_ Elizabeth_?"

"Well _Arthur_, he is doing much better than any other servant. They usually collapse after the first blow, am I right?"

Arthur nods, but grudgingly. "All right, can I please go back to training? I have a tournament to win."

I chuckle. "Since you asked so nicely..." I turned and left. Well, I'm glad I didn't miss that scene!

...

I sat with Gwen in her home as she helped Merlin learn about the armour. I enjoyed being in Gwen's home a lot, actually. It's very cozy, and while it's small, it feels like my shabby apartment at home. You can see why I feel more at home here than in the castle.

"So, you got the voiders on the arm. The hauberk goes over your chest." She goes over and grabs the helmet. "I guess you know what to do with the helmet."

"Um, yeah. That was the only bit I could figure out." They laugh together as Merlin put the helmet on. I'm not gonna lie. I totally used to ship them together.

"How come you're so much better at this than me?" He asks.

I speak up. "Well, she _is_ the Blacksmith's daughter."

Merlin points at me, as if making a "You're right." gesture.

"I know pretty much everything there is to know about armour. Which is actually, kind of sad." She laughs and looks at the floor.

I roll my eyes. Gwen really needs to stop belittling herself. She's an amazing girl.

"No, it's brilliant!" Merlin protests.

I stand up and stand next to Gwen. "She sure is, isn't she?"

Gwen blushes, and says, "Thank you, my Lady."

I pat her back, and point to the door. "So I'm going to see what Morgana is doing."

They both nod, and bow, and I leave the room. Man, the sexual tension in there was off the charts!

...

The next day was the day of the tournament, so I sat with Morgana and Uther at the stands. I sat next to Morgana, and Gwen sat at Morgana's other side. I grab Morgana's hand, and say, "I can already feel myself getting bored." And she sniggers.

I see Valiant amoung the competitors and shiver. Morgana rubs her hand over mine. "Are you alright?" She asks worriedly.

I shake my head. "I'm fine."

Uther goes and stands in front of the knights. "The Knights of the Realm. It's a great honour to welcome you to the tournament of Camelot. For the next three days you will come to put your bravery to the test, your skills as warriors." His eyes roamed over the crowd. "And of course, to challenge the reiging champion, my son, Prince Arthur."

I saw Valiant turn around to give Arthur a dirty look, which he matched. "Only one, can have the honour of being crowned champion. And he will recieve a prize of one thousand gold pieces." And everybody turns their heads to look at the heaps of gold coins sitting in the treasure chest. "It is in combat that we learn a Knight's true nature, whether he is indeed a warrior, or a coward." Uther finishes. "Let the tournament begin!"

Everybody cheered, but I could only keep my eyes are Arthur, who actually looked kinda nervous. Then I remember what Uther says to Arthur right before the tournament starts. 'I trust you will make me proud.' Yeah, no pressure there, Uther.

The actual fighting was super cool. This was so much better than the pitiful make-shift jousting and sword-playing I saw on a field trip in the fourth grade.

The only downside to seeing it is that, while in the show they don't show blood, whereas in real life, they do. I'm not the squeamish when it comes to blood, but I'm not gonna lie. I was a bit disturbed. And that's just putting it lightly.

Anyway, back to the cool swordfighting. I surprised myself by yelling and cheering with the rest of the crowd. "Go Arthur!" I shouted. And I screamed as loud as everybody else when he knocked his opponent to the ground, taking his helmet off to show his pride in his victory. His eyes rested on mine, and I lifted my hands to show that I was really proud of him.

Valiant won his tournament too, which I wasn't really happy about, but I had to clap for him, seeing as I'm the Lady of Camelot.

I winced a little at some of the strikes, but other than that, I'd say that my first jousting tournament went pretty good. I haven't lost my breakfast yet, so I'm counting that as a win!

I caught up with Arthur after the tournament. I felt like I needed to congratulate him. "Hey!" I yelled, running up to him. He actually smiled at me. "I just wanted to congratulate you. You did pretty well out there."

He shrugged. "It was nothing, really."

I saw Merlin and Arthur look behind me, so I turned, only to see Valiant come walking toward us. I immeditely turned around and closer to Arthur's side. I mean, I'm the Lady of Camelot, he wouldn't try anything, would he?

He turned to Arthur. "May I offer my congratulations on your victories today?"

Arthur looked like he would rather be smearing Valiant's face in the dirt, but says, "Likewise."

"I hope to see you at the receptions this evening." Valiant continues, but really looking at me when he says it. I give him a polite smile, but really, my skin was crawling.

After he left, Merlin muttered, "Creep."

I nod my head. "Too right."

Arthur looks like he was going to laugh at what Merlin said, but caught himself. "Tomorrow I need you to repair my shield, wash my tunic, clean my boots, sharpen my sword, and polish my chainmail." He said, walking off.

Poor Merlin stood there looking like Arthur dropped the burden of Atlas on his shoulders. I can't help but laugh at his reaction. "It could be worse."

"How?" He asks, disbelieving.

I lean closer, since I can't risk anybody hearing. "You could have to do it with your own hands." I say, dropping a hint for him to use his magic. He looks at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. I shrug, and walk off.

...

Merlin should consider himself lucky. At least he doesn't have to be where I am right now.

I mean, after having to change into a dress with a stupid _corset,_ and put into a room with people I don't like, and somewhere that I don't want to be, I would rather be cleaning Arthur's tunics.

I stood next to Morgana and Gwen. When Valiant walked up, Morgana gave me a look, that says, 'Look at this clown.'

I just gently sigh and shrug, and she has to fight to keep a laugh contained. "Knight Valiant of the Western Hales." **(I honestly have no idea if that is what it actually is it's three in the morning and I honestly couldn't care less by this point)**

"I saw you fighting today." Uther said. "You have a very agressive style."

"As my Lord says, to lose is to be disgraced." Valiant explained.

Uther nodded thoughtfully. "I couldn't agree more." Uther grabbed Valiant's shoulder to turn him to face Morgana and me. "Knight Valiant, may I introduce the Lady Elizabeth and the Lady Morgana?"

Valiant gently took Morgana's hand, and kissed it. Then he took my hand, and looked at me kinda creepily when he kissed it. I hate that I had to be polite and give him a smile. If I could I would swing at him with a mace.

"I saw you competing today." I say, just to be polite.

"I saw you watching." He answered just as fast.

Okay, let's just be glad that I'm not in the twenty first century. The guy would already be trying to get my phone number. I smile politely back. Okay dude, I'd really like my hand back now, which he _still_ hasn't let go of.

Morgana noticed Arthur watching and gently nudged me in the stomach. I glance over, and sure enough, he was. He looked kinda, dare I say, jealous. "I undestand that the tournament champion has the honour of escorting Lady Elizabeth to the feast."

"That is correct." I say, stilling keeping my fake-as-barbie smile on.

"Then I will give everything to win the tournament." Okay, now you are just being plain creepy. Like, you're not impressing anybody.

I nod, and he does too. He nods to Morgana, says, "My Ladies.", and finally lets go of my hand. I self-conciously rub my hand after he leaves. I motion for Morgana to lean in, and she does. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope Arthur wins the tournament." She giggles.

Arthur nods to Uther, who just brushes him off. I feel anger built up inside me. Arthur walks to Morgana and me, and I know Morgana is just waiting to tease him. She looks over to the people praising Valiant, and then back to Arthur. "They all seemed to be impressed by Knight Valiant."

"Well, they're not the only ones." Arthur says pointedly.

Morgana nods. She hooks her arm through mine. "I do remember Lizzie telling me that she epspecially looks forward to Knight Valiant's fights."

I look at her kinda panicked, but she looks at me like, 'Let me handle this.' Arthur slightly flares, and Morgana looks at him innocently. "You're not, _jealous_, are you?"

"I don't see anything to be jealous of." He answers, and walks off.

I feel kinda discouraged, but Morgana just nudges me and says, "He's so jealous." And that makes me laugh. Then she turns to Gwen and says, "Could Arthur _be _anymore annoying?" Then she looks back at me. "I so hope Knight Valiant wins the tournament."

I roll my eyes at her and gently nudge her. "Now you don't really mean that."

She looks at me in disbelief. "Yes, I do. And you're only saying that because you hope Arthur wins!"

"Hey, you wanna be escorted by Salazaar Slytherin, be my guest." They look at me funny, and that's when it hit me that no one would understand a Harry Potter joke here. So I add, "I'd rather not, thank you very much. If he wins, by all means, you can take my place."

Meanwhile, I see Arthur and Valiant having another glare-off.

Wow, it seems like actions really do speak louder than words in Camelot. I just hope that those actions aren't screaming at the top of their lungs.

**TBC...**

**Would be longer, but it is 3:16 AM where I am, and my mom is telling me to hit the hay. **

**I like ending parts with Morgana and Liz moments. I really loved nice Morgana, so I'm trying to soak that up as much as I can before she has to go away. Let me know what you think about ending parts with Morgana and Liz moments!**

**Let me know if you liked any of the changes I made!**

**Lizzie's outfit is on my Polyvore!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	4. Valiant part 2

**AN: Hey!**

**So I am so in love with this story right now, that I just had to update!**

**I took a Mary Sue test, and I did so awful on it. But, don't worry, I'm planning on making Lizzie sassier and tougher!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN IS NOT MINE**

**Enjoy!**

The next day was day 2 of the tournaments, and, as they did yesterday, Arthur and Valiant dominated all their opponents. But, as it did in the show, Sir Ewan got bitten by the snake in Valiant's shield. I could see the look in Merlin's eyes, and he was on the same wavelength as me. As Gaius went to take him back to his chambers, I stood up to follow. Morgana grabbed my arm. "Lizzie? Where are you going?"

Uh-oh! Quick Liz, think of a lie. "Uh, I'll be right back." Smooth.

Morgana looks confused, but lets go of my arm. I catch up to Merlin on his way to Gaius' chambers. "What happened?"

Merlin turns his head to look at me. "Sir Ewan is injured."

I give him a look of annoyance. "Yeah, I know that part. But he isn't bleeding. This is a swordfight, I would have thought an injury caused by a sword would have bled quite a bit."

Merlin shakes his head. "We won't know anything until we get to Gaius."

I look at him in disbelief. "Then what are we waiting for?" I grab his hand and we run to Gaius's. Well, more like I dragged him. We go in, and Merlin sets Arthur's armour on the table.

"How is he?" Merlin asked.

Gaius looks up from examining Ewan. "It's most strange." He tilts Ewan's neck, and Merlin and I lean closer. "See these two small wounds?" He points to the two little holes. "They look like a snake bite."

Merlin shakes his head. "As Lizzie said, he was injured in a sword fight. How could he have been bitten by a snake?"

"Well, the symptoms are consistent with poisoning. Slow pulse, fever, paralysis." Gaius gets up from his seat.

"Well, can you heal him?" I ask.

"Well, if it is a snake bite, I'll have to extract venom from the snake that bit him to make an antidote."

"What happens if he doesn't get the antidote?" Merlin asked worriedly.

"Then I'm afraid there is nothing more I can do for him. He's going to die."

Merlin's face crosses with realization. "He was fighting Knight Valiant." he muttered to me.

"What was that?" Gaius asked, not really paying attention.

"Nothing." Merlin says, and turns to leave.

I follow after him. "Hey, wait!" I say after we're outside.

"Lizzie, maybe you should get back to the tournament." He says, still walking.

"No. I was already bored. That, and you're right. He was fighting Knight Valiant. I wanna be sure that you are correct so that you don't make a fool of yourself."

He nods. "All right then."

We slowly followed behind Valiant to his chambers. As soon as he goes in, we creep up to his door, and slowly open it a bit.

Valiant was holding a mouse over the now animated snakes. Once we saw what he was doing, we ran back to Gaius' chambers. Not a moment to soon, since Valiant came out of his chambers four seconds after we left.

We run back into Gaius's chambers. "We've just seen, one of the snakes in Valiant's shield come alive." Merlin says, catching his breath. "He's using magic."

"You sure?" Gaius asks.

"Gaius, I've seen it with my own two eyes. The snake pattern wasn't on the shield anymore, and the snakes were popping out of the shield." I say. Man, how I wished I had come to Camelot with a camera! Would have saved so much time!

"The snake, ate a mouse, one swallow straight down." Merlin continues. "Ewan was fighting Valiant when he collapsed. It must have been one of the snakes from his shield." He looks to Ewan. "I have to tell Arthur." Merlin says, moving to the door, me about to follow him.

"Is there any chance that the two of you might have been mistaken?" Gaius asks, standing up.

"I know magic when I see it." Merlin says.

Gaius looks at Merlin sharply. "Merlin!"

What? Oh yeah, I'm not supposed to know he has magic. Well, might as well make this easier for all of us. "I know, Gaius. I know he has magic."

Gaius's eyes bug out of his head. "You told her?!" Gaius thundered to Merlin.

"He didn't tell me!" I say, defending the terrified Merlin. "The night that old woman was disguised as the Lady Helen, I didn't fall asleep. I covered my ears. By the look in his eye, Merlin didn't want to use magic, especially in front of someone of the royal court. But he did it to save Arthur's life. And I owe him for that. Arthur is very important to me, and for that, I won't tell anybody." I conclude. Man, that was tiring to explain.

Gaius reluctantly nods. "All right then, Liz."

"Back to the matter at hand," Merlin says. "We have to tell Arthur."

"But do you have proof?" He asks.

"Don't you believe me?" Merlin asks.

"I feel you'll land yourselves in trouble. How would you explain why you were in Valiant's chambers?"

"Does that matter?" Merlin asks. "He's using magic to cheat in the tournament."

"But you can't go accusing a Knight of using magic without proof. The King would never accept the word of a servant over the word of a Knight."

"Oh, so what I say doesn't count for anything?" Merlin asks.

"It doesn't matter much as far as Uther is concerned." I say gently, putting a hand on his arm.

Merlin storms to his bedroom, and loudly shuts the door. I flinch at the sound of the impact. Gaius turns to me. "Why are you not telling Merlin's secret?"

"Merlin is a good man. He doesn't use magic for evil. He saved Arthur's life. He's a good friend. And those are only some of the reasons." I say, smiling at Gaius. I sigh. "I better get back to the tournament before Uther realizes that I've been gone long." I give Gaius a hug, and leave, thinking of how I can prevent Ewan from getting bitten a second time.

...

Honestly, these tournaments are getting so boring. I mean, sure it's exciting to watch people fight, but after a while, you want to be banging your head against a wall. Well, at least that's how my friends and I always felt at high school Rugby games.

I sit with Morgana again, and see the huge opponent Arthur has to fight. I don't look worried, since I know that while he may be big, he's really slow. Morgana looks worried though. I rub her arm. "Not scared, are you?" I ask.

"Of course not." She says hastily.

Morgana's worries went down the drain when Arthur easily won the match. After a while, I look back up at the board, and see that Arthur is fighting against Valiant in the final. I take a deep breath, and look back ahead. Morgana senses that there's something wrong with me, and asked if I was okay. I assured her I was fine.

After the tournament is over for the day, I make my way to Gaius's chambers. I lightly knock on the door, and Merlin calls, "Come in!"

I open the door, and go to grab a chair. I put it next to Merlin and sit down. "Any change?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Only seems to be getting worse."

I sigh and lean back in the chair. "We have to stop Valiant. He's going to kill Arthur in the tournament."

Merlin nods. "I know."

A moment of silence passes before I speak again. "How do we do it?"

Merlin doesn't have a chance to answer because Gaius walks in. Merlin takes one look at Gaius, then goes back to looking at Ewan.

Gaius sighs. "Merlin. About what I said yesterday," Gaius says, walking up to Merlin. "Look, Uther really wouldn't listen to you or me. But you two are right." We both look up to him. "We mustn't let Valiant get away with this."

"But we don't have any proof." Merlin says, straightening up.

"If we can cure Ewan he could tell the King Valiant was using magic. The King would believe a Knight over another Knight." Gaius says.

Merlin turns his head to me. "Or even you."

I put my hands up. "As much as I want to, Uther wouldn't believe me. I don't have the proof, Ewan does. He was the one that was bit."

Gaius nods. "But how we get the antidote, well, that's another matter."

I remember what Merlin does. I grab his hand and pull him up. "Leave that to us." I say, running out the door, dragging Merlin with me.

We run to the dining room, where all the Knights were eating. "What are we doing?"

"We have to check if Valiant is in his chambers first." I say. "We need to get the venom, and to do that-"

"We need to get a snake." Merlin concludes.

I nod. "Right." We quickly check, then begin to run to Valiant's chambers.

We pass Arthur's chambers. "Wait!" I say, coming to a stop. I open Arthur's chambers and walk in.

"What?" Merlin asks.

I go to his window, and find a sword. "I knew he had extras." I say, tossing it to Merlin, who catches it. "You'll be needing it."

Merlin looks at me confused. "For what?"

"To cut the head of the snake off, of course." I say. I grab his arm to lead him out of Arthur's chambers before somebody caught us lurking around there.

We walk to Valiant's chambers, and Merlin uses magic to unlock his door. We quickly walk in, and Merlin points the sword at the shield in case the snakes come out, pushing me behind him.

Merlin and I hear footsteps outside, and we cautiously turn to the door. Suddenly, we hear hissing, and Merlin turns his eyes to look at the snake's shadow. He quickly turns, and promptly slices the head of the snake off.

Two more of them pop out, but I grab the head off of the floor, and grab Merlin's arm, pulling him out of the room. I pass him the snake head, and we run back to Gaius' chambers.

...

In Gaius's chambers, he extracts the venom into a small vial, while me and Merlin watch.

"I'll get started preparing the antidote ." Gaius says, and starts taking materials out.

"I'm going to tell Arthur." Merlin says.

"You'll need this." Gaius says, handing him the snake head. Merlin leaves and I go to follow him, leaving Gaius to his work.

Merlin and I run to Arthur's chambers, but somebody catches me, and I apparently missed my Science lessons. I didn't even know I had to _take _Science lessons. Luckily for me, it didn't take too long, and I was standing with everybody else in the audience that Arthur had requested with Uther.

Uther walked into the throne room, and asked, "Why have you requested the court?"

"I have reason to believe that Knight Valiant is using a magical shield, to cheat in the tournament." Arthur states.

Morgana looks at me, as if to say, 'Do you believe this?'. I only give a small nod in return.

"Valiant, what do you have to say to this?" Uther asks him.

"My Lord this is ridiculous. I've never used magic." he gives Arthur a dirty look. "Does your son have any evidence to support his outrageous accusations?"

"_Do_ you have evidence?" Uther asks.

"I do." Arthur says, and gestures for Merlin to come forward. Merlin does, and he gives the snake head to Uther. It was standing there, looking at the snake head did I realize what I had been neglecting. That other snake went and bit Ewan, killing him. My eyes widen, but I have to quickly cover it up.

"Let me see the shield." Uther says, motioning for Valiant to do so. As Valiant hands it to him, Merlin leans over and murmurs something to Arthur, which I can only guess was, 'Don't let him get too close.'

"Be careful, My Lord." Arthur says, drawing his sword.

It was while Uther was examining the sword did I see Gaius walk in, most likely to tell him that Ewan was dead.

"As you can see, My Lord, it is an ordinary shield." Vailant said.

Arthur scoffs. "He's not going to let everyone see the snakes come alive."

"Then how am I gonna know that what you say is true?" Uther asks.

"I have a witness." Arthur declares. "Knight Ewan was bitten by one of the snakes from the shield." He gives Valiant a pointed look. "It's venom made him grievously ill." Arthur continues. "However, he's received an antidote. He will confirm that Knight Valiant is using magic."

"Where is this witness?" Uther asks.

"He should...be here." Arthur says, turning to look back at Merlin. He walks up to him, and talk quietly.

"I'm waiting!" Uther yelled.

"I'm afraid that the witness is dead." Arthur states.

"So you have no proof to support these allegations?" Uther asks. "Have you seen Valiant using magic?"

I want to bury my head in my hands.

"No." Arthur says. He turns and looks back at Merlin. "But, my servant, fought-"

"Your servant?" Uther asks slowly. "You make these outrageous accusations against a Knight, on the word of your servant?"

"I believe he is telling the truth." Arthur argues.

"My Lord, am I really to be judged by some boy?" Valiant asks, and I want to just claw his eyes out.

"I've seen those snakes come alive!" Merlin says, walking to stand more behind Arthur.

"How dare you interrupt!" Uther booms. "Guards!"

The two nearest guards move to grab Merlin. "My Lord." Valiant says.

Uther looks at Valiant, then back to the guards. "Wait!" He called, and the guards pause.

"I'm sure he was merely mistaken." Valiant says. "I wouldn't want him punished on my account."

Uther looks to Arthur. "You see? This is how a true Knight behaves. With gallantry, and honour."

"My Lord, if your son made these accusations because he's afraid to fight me, then I will graciously accept his withdrawal." Arthur sharply looks up.

"Is this true?" Uther asks. "Do you wish to withdraw from the tournament?"

"No!" Arthur quickly says.

"Then what am I to make of these allegations?" Uther asks.

Everybody looks around, and Morgana and I share a worried look. Arthur speaks up. "Obviously, there has been a mistake. I withdraw the allegations towards Knight Valiant. Please accept my apology." Arthur said, looking really embarrassed and actually kind of shamed.

"Accepted." Valiant answers.

Arthur nods to Uther, then he left without another word, Merlin behind him.

**_Third Person POV..._  
**

In Arthur's chambers, he didn't dare look at Merlin. "I believed you, I...trusted you." he said. "And you made me look..." He shook his head. "A complete fool."

"Well, it didn't go exactly to plan." Merlin said.

Arthur turned with a glare on his face. "Didn't go to plan?" He repeated. "My father, and the entire Royal Court think I'm a fool! You humiliated me!" He thundered. He turned away from Arthur.

"We can still expose Valiant." Merlin said.

"I no longer require your services." Arthur says firmly.

"You're sacking me?" Merlin asked in disbelief.

"I need a servant I can trust." Arthur explains.

"You _can_ trust me!" Merlin insists.

"And look where it got me this time. Get out of my sight!" Arthur shouted.

Reluctantly, the young warlock complied and left the Prince's chambers.

**_Elizabeth's POV..._**

I wait until it's just me and Uther in the throne room. After everyone is gone, I angrily turn to Uther. "Are you daft?" I ask, and he turns to me with a warning look on his face. I walk closer to him as I speak. "You would believe the word of a Knight that you met two days ago over the word of your own son?"

"Arthur had no proof of such accusations." Uther said firmly.

"But if it was a magic shield, wouldn't one need magic to activate it?" I threw back at him.

"Arthur had no proof of that and Valiant had nothing to prove him right."

I looked at him, disgusted. "Arthur is your kin. How can you say that?"

"He embarrassed me!" He cried angrily.

"_He_ embarrassed _you_?" I said, not believing what I was hearing. "Do you have any idea how he must feel?"

"Enough!" Uther boomed, and I'm proud to say that I didn't flinch. "That's enough. I don't want to hear another word on the matter."

I shake my head. "If you are too blinded by your pride to see that Merlin is right, I won't stand by and let Arthur die."

"Merlin?" Uther asked, unbelieving. "You are basing your judgement on Arthur's servant? He's an idiot boy!"

"Idiot boy? That idiot boy has saved your son's life! And I'm not going to let his efforts go to waste." I turn and start to storm off.

"How exactly are you going to do that?" Uther asks, sort of bemused.

I stop by the door and turn. "I'm going to help prove Valiant is using magic."

"_There is no proof! _How many times must I explain that to you?!" He yelled.

"Then I'll find some!" I yelled back. I tone my voice down. I look him dead in the eye, and say, quite smugly, "I mean, you always seem to." Normally, I would have felt awful at the look on Uther's face, but coming to Camelot must have changed me more than I thought it would.

I run to Gaius's chambers, praying that Merlin is already in there with the stone dog. I knock on the door, and open it when Gaius grants me entrance.

"Ah! Liz! Did you need something?" He asked.

"No, but I need to see Merlin." I run up to his door, opened it, and walked inside. Merlin jumps and gets a feared look in his eye, but he relaxes when he sees that it's just me. "Did you find anything?" I ask, and look to where the dog was. "What're you doing with that?"

He looked to the dog and looked back at me. "I was trying to perfect the spell that Valiant uses to bring his shield to life."

I gesture to his bed. "Mind if I join you?"

He looks confused, but nods. "Why don't you stay in the castle? The King must be wondering where you are. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

I scoff. "I don't want to see the King right as much as he doesn't want to see me at the moment."

"Why?" Merlin asks, then seems to realize who he was talking to."If I may ask. that is."

I give him a weak smile. "I tried defending you and Arthur. He, naturally, got mad. He tried to order me not to talk more on the matter, but I didn't listen. That's why I'm here. I don't want Arthur to fight as much you do."

Merlin nods and goes back to the dog. Two hours must have passed and Merlin still hasn't gotten the spell right. I groan. "This is taking too long! Soon enough it'll be morning and Arthur will be fighting." I huff and put my chin in my hand. I stare at the door, and realize what I have to do. I slide off the bed, and gesture to the dog. "Keep trying. I'm going to try and talk Arthur out of fighting."

Merlin shakes his head. "I don't think you'll change his mind."

I throw my hands up. "I have to try! I've known him for longer, maybe he'll listen to me." Although I know I won't be able to convince headstrong Arthur not to fight to protect his pride.

When I get to his chambers, he isn't there, so I go to find Morgana to see if she knew where he was. I actually don't remember much of this episode, because I don't have a tendency to re watch them.

I walk into her chambers, and she sharply looks up. Her face contorts into one of relief when she sees that's it's only me. She gets up and grabs me into a hug. She clutches at my back, and I rub hers. Over these few days, I have grown really close to Morgana. I mean, I must be really close to her already, especially since I supposedly grew up with her. Yeah, I don't really get it either.

"Hey, it's okay." I rub her back one final time and pull away. I push her hair from her face. "Did you have another nightmare?"

She nods a tear or two slip out. "It was awful Lizzie. Valiant, he was...he drove his sword through..." She couldn't even continue.

I pulled her back into my arms and rub her back again. "It's okay. I'll talk to Arthur. That's why I came to you. I was wondering if you knew where he was." I go over to her dresser and pull out a handkerchief. I gently dab at her eyes.

She smiles weakly at me. "Thank you Liz. I last saw Arthur practicing outside." She walks back to the window, and furrows her eyebrows. "He's not there anymore."

"Which must mean that he's inside." I say. I give Morgana one final hug. "Are you sure you're okay?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. Please go talk to him."

I nod, and leave her chambers. I quickly run to Arthur's. I take a deep breath and walk inside.

He's standing by the fire, staring into the flames. His head turns to look at me. He rolls his eyes. "Ever heard of knocking, Elizabeth?"

"Yes. I'm not stupid. I'm not like you." I say.

He raises his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"You know that Valiant will use the shield on you when you fight him in the tournament." I say simply.

Arthur sighs. "I know."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "Then withdraw. You have to withdraw from the match!"

"Don't you understand?" Arthur asks. "I can't withdraw. The people expect their prince to fight. How can I lead men into battle if they think I'm a coward?"

"Valiant will kill you!" I say, disbelieving at his words. "If you fight, you will die."

"Then I die." Arthur says curtly.

"How can you go out there and fight like that?" I ask.

"Because I have to." Arthur replies. "It's my duty."

"But you also have a duty to your people. To your father, to Morgana." I say a bit quieter. "To me."

He still doesn't look at me. "Fine. You wanna get yourself killed by Slytherin, fine by me. Just don't expect me to watch." I turn and leave without another word.

...

I wanted to stop by Merlin's chambers this morning, but after Morgana reminded me that Arthur was servantless, I decided to go and help him.

"Lizzie? Ease his nerves." Morgana says to me before I leave.

"As I told you last night Morgana, the man will not listen to me. I am not going to watch him die." I say.

Her eyes tear up a bit. "But he won't die. I know he won't. And if he does, I need you there, with me."

I sigh, then give her a hug. "I'll be there." I say, and go off to find Arthur.

I walk in, and nod for the servant there to leave. He bows, and leaves. I walk up to Arthur. He turns around when he feels smaller hands on his back. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

"I thought that if this was to be the last time I saw you, I'd get to see you show a little humility at having to dress yourself." He gives me a look, and I just give him a smile. "I'm kidding."

I start to put on his armour, and he looks surprised that I can actually do it. I smile at him again. "I used to help my father with his armour." I say, using Morgana's excuse. That is totally not true though. I just have a really good memory and remembered everything that Gwen taught Merlin.

I lastly grab his helmet and hand it to him. I don't wanna meet his eyes, but I eventually do. They are so blue, I could just drown in them. Wait, what was I saying?

"I'll be there." I say. "At the tournament." He smiles. "Don't smile like that. You didn't win. I'm only going because Morgana had asked me to."

He smiles. "Yeah yeah yeah." We laugh. We compose ourselves, and Arthur moves to leave. "Arthur?" I call.

He stops and turns. "Yes?"

"Be careful." Then I smirk, and add, "And kick Valiant's butt."

Arthur smirks, and then breaks it and laughs. "See you at the feast." He says, and walks off.

I wait there for a few seconds, then leave to go sit next to Morgana. As soon as I do, she grabs my hand. "I know you're worried. But Arthur will be just fine."

I nod, but look straight ahead at their fight. They begin, and I spent the whole time wondering where Merlin was. I grip Morgana's hand harder.

After a few minutes of them just fighting, I finally spot Merlin. He catches my eye, and I give him a look that says, 'Did you do it?'

He nods at me, and I sigh in relief. It's really cool to watch Merlin do magic, so I keep my eyes on him as he uses the spell.

He mutters the spell, and the snakes emerge from Valiant's shield. Everybody in the stands rise.

"What are you doing?" Valiant hisses. "I didn't summon you!"

"He _is_ using magic." Uther exclaims.

Valiant laughs, and the snakes slide out from the shield. "Kill him!" He commanded them.

I lean over and grab a sword from the Knight standing next to me. "Arthur!" I called, and tossed him the sword. He caught it, and slashed the heads off of the snakes.

He and Valiant clash swords a couple more times before he finally stabs Valiant in the stomach. He says something into his ear, and drops him to the ground.

Everybody erupts into cheers, but I can only stand there and catch my breath. I knew he would win, but the thought that he could have died terrified me. He catches my eye, and raises his sword a little higher. I laugh and clap for him.

So maybe this tournament wasn't all that boring.

...

Gwen helped me get ready for the feast. She dressed me into a green dress, green eye shadow, and tinted pink lips. Everybody happily chats in the dining room, and I wait for Arthur to come.

He does, and Uther announces his arrival. "My honourable guests. Prince Arthur. Your champion." And the whole room erupts into applause.

He walks in with a proud smile on his face, and I meet him there. He offers his arm to me. "My Lady."

I laugh and take it. "My Champion."

We walk down the line of people, all congratulating Arthur, and some people even complimenting what I was wearing.

"So did your father apologize for not believing you?" I asked, since Morgana had asked it.

"He'll never apologize." He said with a small laugh. "Have you apologize to father?"

I laugh and blush a little at my outburst with Uther. "Yes, I did. I told him I had no right to say any of those things, and that I was wrong."

"Did you mean your words?" He asked, shaking someone's hand.

I smiled and waved at another person. "Not a single one."

He laughs and we make it to the end of the crowd. Arthur spots Merlin, and turns to me. "I have to speak to Merlin."

I raise an eyebrow. "I thought you fired him."

"Well, I'm going to go rehire him. My chambers are a mess." He smirks, and I laugh. He takes my hand and raises it to his lips, causing a light blush to cross my face. "Save me a dance later."

"Looking forward to it." I say, and take my hand back.

He nods to me and goes to Merlin. I run my hand along my arm and sigh. I laugh at the look on Merlin's face as Arthur lists what needs to be done. Morgana finds me. "Saw you and Arthur laughing together."

"We can't laugh together?" I ask, with a light smile on my face.

She puts her hands up. "I'm not saying anything. Just saying that it's a little suspicious, is all."

I laugh, and hook my arm through hers. She smiles. "It's fun to be suspicious, isn't it?"

Morgana laughs too. "Definitely." We mingle for a bit, but Arthur finds me, and we dance together. As he swirls me around, I can only think of one thing.

Life in Camelot might not be easy, but it was sure as hell fun.

**TBC...**

**Hurray for longer chapters!**

**That was Valiant, which I am sorry took so long. Next, the Mark of Nimueh! So exciting!**

**Elizabeth's close are on my Polyvore! There will be two separate documents, one for the chapter, and Elizabeth's feast outfit.**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	5. The Mark of Nimueh part 1

**AN: Hey!**

**I made, a poll, as to who Lizzie should end up with! I've been leaning towards Arthur, but I'm suddenly thinking about Merlin. I want to hear your opinion!**

**BTW I'm telling you now, there really isn't a thing with Uther. I'm only saying that to build up character relationship. Kay? Good, glad that's all cleared up.**

**The Mark of Nimueh! Here we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE**

**Enjoy!**

Over the course of the few weeks I've been here, Camelot has become my home. I have good friends (like Merlin and Gwen) a somewhat sister (though we aren't biologically related I see Morgana as my sister, at least for now) a kinda of father (I still hate Uther with most of my guts, but he does protect me and treat me like a daughter) a grandfather (I ADORE Gaius) and an actual love interest (In Arthur. My ex-boyfriend John would be SO jealous! That's why I broke up with the creep). But like home, things are scary here. Like the person that is sickly white and blue that I see Gaius and Merlin g over.

My jaw drops and I run to Merlin. "What's going on?"

Merlin looks at me and tries to push me back. "Lizzie I don't think you should see this..."

I push his arms away. "I really don't care. It can't be that bad." I say, pushing Merlin aside, and kneeling next to the patient. Gaius rolls him over, and the persons eyes are rolled into the back of his head, and blue veins pop out of his skin. I feel sick to my stomach, any bury my face in Merlin's shoulder. "You were right, I shouldn't have looked." When I bring my face back out, it looked like the blush was slowly leaving Merlin's cheek. I decided not to make him feel more embarrassed than he already was.

"You were saying?" Merlin asked, gaping at the body.

"People musn't see this. They'll panic." I get up, grab a small blanket, and toss it to Merlin to put over the body. Looks like the Mark of Nimueh has begun...

...

I make my way to the markets. There's something I want to get for Arthur. I know, it's cheesy, but he needs good luck. He has this big thing with Uther coming up, and he's pretty nervous about it.

I bought a gold braclet from a woman (I totally gave way more money than was neccesary), and walked back to the castle. On my way back, I see Gwen. "Ah! Guinevere!" I say, running to catch up with her. She stops so that I can. I look down at the two bouqets of flowers in her hands. "Someone sent you flowers. Isn't that sweet?"

She looked down, then blushed. "Oh, no." She hands me one of the bouqets, filled with red and yellow flowers. "These are for you. I picked them."

"Oh, how sweet!" I say, taking the flowers from her. Never, in my life, have I been given flowers as just a gesture. John never gave me flowers, once. I took a sniff, and it smelled just like my mother's perfume. My heart sinks at the thought of home. But I don't miss it as much anymore. I have way too many people to care for me.

"I know you haven't been sleeping well lately. It was something to cheer you up."

"You know what Gwen? _You_ cheer me up." I look at the other flowers in her hands. "Oh, these are for Morgana. She hasn't been getting much sleep either."

"Well, I know the feeling." I say, hooking my arm through hers. Seriously, I didn't even lose this much sleep in university, and I never ever slept that long.

She looks down at my bag. "Who is that for?" Gwen asks.

I slightly blush. "It's for Arthur. He has that thing with Uther today, and I wanted to give him a good luck charm."

Gwen gives me a look. I roll my eyes. "Now what's that look for?"

Gwen laughs. "Nothing. It's very kind of you to think of him like that."

"Yeah, well. Everybody gets nervous, even if they don't want to admit it." I say. We pass Gaius' chambers. "I have to see Gaius for my draft." I say, stopping.

"Oh, well, would you like me to put your flowers in water?" She asks.

I nod and hand them to her. "Thank you. They're lovely, really." I knock on Gaius' door, and he permits me entrance.

"Liz! Is there something you needed, I was with a patient." He says.

"Yes. I came for my draft." Gaius nods, and goes to retrieve it. I take this as my chance to walk closer to the patient. "Is this the same person from this morning?" I ask.

Merlin nods. "Yeah. It's nothing that Gaius' has ever seen before, apparently." His head turns to where Gaius is. "Is it some kind of plague?"

"No, I fear something like this could never come from nature." Gaius states, handing me my draft.

I set it on a table. "Are you suggesting sorcery?" I ask.

Gaius nods. "But who has this kind of power?"

"Merlin!" Arthur's voice calls from outside. Merlin runs to answer the door, but doesn't open it too much. "I'm on my way. Sorry I'm late."

"Don't worry. I'm getting used to it." Arthur says flippently. He looks down at the flower that Gwen must have given him. Merlin looks down to where he was staring. "Oh. Er, Gwen, she gave it to me." Ha! Right on the money!

"Tell Gaius that my father wants to see him now." Arthur says, making a move to leave.

I guess this would be the best time to give Arthur his present now. "Arthur! Wait!" He does, and I run to the door. He starts walking, and so I follow him. "Hey! I asked you to wait for a _reason_, you know!"

He sighs and stops to face me. "Yes, Elizabeth?"

I reach into my bag, and pull out the braclet. "This is for you." I say, handing it to him. He takes it and takes a look at it. "I knew you had that thing coming up with Uther, and I wanted you to wear it, for good luck." I explain.

Arthur smiles at me, which sends butterflies to my stomach. "Thank you Elizabeth. That was very kind and thoughtful of you." He says, then turns to leave.

I scrunch my eyebrows. "Oi!" I call, getting his attention so that he would turn around. "Aren't you going to put it on? It's for good luck, and by the state of things, you might need it."

"And why is that?" Arthur questions.

"Gaius has a patient, and he doesn't know what the disease is, so that means he doesn't know what the cure it. Put it on." I say. He struggles with it (though I really don't know why). I groan and walk up to him. "Honestly Arthur." I say, taking the braclet from his hand. I gently and carefully slide it onto his wrist, holding his hand as I do it. "There." I say, after it's on. We hold onto eachother's hand for a few seconds longer. "That's how you do it."

He smiles again. "Thank you Elizabeth, really." He lifts my hand to his lips, and leaves, but not without giving me a heart stopping smirk.

Gah, I can't take it!

...

"Have you heard of the disease?" I ask Morgana as we sit in her chambers later that day.

She looks at me strangely. "What disease?"

I sigh and sip from my goblet. Drinks back then (well technically now) aren't bad. I liked it alot, actually. "There is a disease going around the Kingdom and it's apparently spreading fast."

"Do they know what the cause of it is?" Morgana asks me.

I shake my head. "Not as of yet. But Gaius doesn't think it comes from nature."

Her eyes bug from her head. "He thinks sorcery is involved."

I shrug. "It's a disease that Gaius has never seen before. Gaius is a pretty old man. He's most likely seen a lot."

She nods thoughtfully. "I guess you're right. I hope it doesn't affect many people, and it's not spreading as fast as people are saying."

I nod, barely listening to what she was saying. I knew what the disease was. I knew what caused it, and I knew how to stop it. Question is, do I do anything to stop it? Even though all those people are affected by Nimueh's spell, I feel like all these deaths are my fault, because I could have done something about it. I certainly can't let Gwen's father get the disease, and I can't let Gwen get convicted of sorcery. What is a Dimension-Traveller to do?

"Lizzie!" Morgana says, tapping the table. I snap back into attention. "What?"

She sighs. "Do you have any idea what I just said?"

I scoff. "Of course I do." I sit up straighter in my chair. "You were talking about people."

She sighs again. "I was talking about the science work that we had been working on."

"Oh, right." I mumble.

Morgana gently smiles at me. "What's wrong?"

"Wha-? Nothing's wrong." I say, rather unconvincingly.

She lifts a finger. "Elizabeth Malinor, don't even try to lie to me!"

"I wasn't lying though!" I say, still unconvincing.

"I always know when you're lying to me, Lizzie. Come on, you can tell me anything. You know that," She says, leaning across the table to squeeze my hand.

I chuckle a little, and squeeze her hand back. "It's my dreams." I say, lying again.

Morgana seemed to believe this one, though. "I know. Mine have been really bad too."

"There's really nothing I can do to stop them." I say.

She nods. "I understand. I know Gaius is helping us with the draft, it hasn't really been working all that well."

"I know." I say. "We just have to keep hoping." We have to keep hoping that I can make up my damn mind.

...

I see Merlin going to the well to get water. Ah! So they figured it out already! Good, I didn't like the guilt that was eating away at my gut.

I run up to the well. "Hey Merlin." I look to the bucket. "What's the water for? I would have thought with the disease spreading through it that you wouldn't want to drink it."

Merlin stops pumping the water. "How did you know that it was spread through water?" he asked suspiciously.

God dammit Lizzie! THIS is why you wait until after a couple scenes! "Uh..." I stutter. "I'm not a foolish girl, Merlin. If everybody is being affected by the disease, then it has to be something they're all in contact with. Such as water." I say, gesturing to the pump.

"How do you know it's not spread through air? Or food?" he asks.

"We all don't eat the same food and if it's from the air a lot more people would have the disease already." I say. Merlin nods and goes back to pumping the water. Oh yeah, I went Sherlock on his ass!

Suddenly, Gwen rushes right past us, tears streaming down her cheeks. We look back at Gwen. I look to Merlin. "That can't be good." He shakes his head and we rush off to follow her.

Merlin and I catch up to Gwen as Gaius explains why he can't cure her father.

"But so far the remedy is far beyond what I can achieve." He explains, which causes more tears to rush down her face. "I'm sorry Gwen." He says, touching her hand.

She sobs and runs off. "Gwen!" I call after her. I look back to Merlin, and he nods for me to go after her. I grab him by his neckerchief. "You had better find a cure Merlin." He quickly nods, and I'm running after Gwen.

"Gwen! Gwen!" I call after her. We're halfway back to her house when she stops for me to catch up with her. I grab her in a hug. "It'll be okay, Gwen." I say, rubbing her back.

She clutches at mine. "It won't! It really won't! My father is all I have!" She says, sobbing harder.

"Merlin will find a cure. He and Gaius both will." I say.

She shakes her head. "But Gaius said that he doesn't have a remedy."

I rub her back again. "Stranger things have happened, Guinevere." Like being sent into a parallel dimension. Except stuff like that really only happens to me.

...

Gwen is so much chipper the next morning. She hums as she helps me into a green dress, she has a skip in her step as she dusts, and she has a swing in her as she moves around. I can't help but laugh. "What's put you in such a good mood?"

"My father has been healed!" She says happily. I literally have to stop my face from falling all the way to the floor. The stupid idiot used magic! After Gaius had told him not to? I had to be happy for Gwen. I truly was, but I was worried for her and Merlin. "That's great! What happened, I thought Gaius didn't have a remedy."

"He didn't take one. He just woke up, and he was fine. You were right my Lady, stranger things have happened." She picks up the last bit of laundry. "I'm going to Morgana's room, did you need anything my Lady?"

I shake my head. "No. In fact, take the rest of the day off from me."

She shakes her head. "Oh no, my Lady, I couldn't..."

I wave her away. "Of course you can. Think of it as a gift for you. You should spend some time with your father."

She nods, curties, and leaves. As soon as she shuts the door, I leave and run to find Merlin. Time to smack some sense into that idiot!

I see him leave Morgana's chambers, where he probably just talked to Gwen. He doesn't see me, which is why he jumps when I grab him by the neckerchief. I drag him into my chambers, which are very close to Morgana's. I push him in, and shut and lock the door.

"What?" He asks, as if he did something wrong.

"What were you thinking?! Healing Gwen's father with magic!" I say, dropping my voice to an angry whisper.

"How did you know that?"

"Because if Gaius doesn't have a remedy, and the disease is caused by magic, the one and only Merlin is going to want to use magic to heal him!"

"What harm has it done? Gwen is happy as can be, her father is healed, where's the wrong in this?" He asks, somewhat accusingly.

"Don't you think that in a city of loads of people dying from the same disease, it's rather suspicious if only _one _man is cured?" I ask.

His face drops. "Maybe people won't notice."

"Won't notice? He's the Blacksmith! People go to him every day! Don't you think they'd notice if he missed one day with an illness, and then go back to working, healthy as a horse?"

"Who knows what'll happen! The main thing is, that Gwen is happy." He says. I throw my hands up. "Well, you better get ready to explain yourself to Gaius. I hope you do it better than you did me."

"There won't be anything to explain." He says. And with that, he leaves. I groan and throw my hands up. THE STUPID BOY! Arthur isn't even that stupid, for Christ's sake!

**TBC...**

**Not that long of a one, but my Dad keeps getting mad at me that I'm not sleeping :(**

**BUT Part 2 of the Mark of Nimueh should be up tomorrow! **

**Lizzie's outfit on polyvore! **

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	6. The Mark of Nimueh part 2

**AN: Hey!**

**Polls close on Wednesday! So let me know who you want Lizzie with!**

**This chapter is dedicated to grapejuice101, because she really helped me a lot in my stories, and she was really looking forward to a scene in this chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN WAS CREATED IN THE TORTURE CHAMBER KNOWN AS BBC HEADQUARTERS.**

**Enjoy!**

Morgana comes running to me. She grabs my arms, tears streaming down her face. "Gwen has been convicted as being the sorceress."

"We have to go stop it!" I say, grabbing Morgana's hand and running to the throne room.

We rush inside, and hear the last bit of what Gwen said. "He got better, I didn't do anything!"

We walk up to Gwen. "I believe you." I say. "Perhaps this is a disease that isn't always fatal."

Morgana nods, agreeing with what I'm saying. "Have you thought of that?" She asked Uther. "Perhaps he recovered naturally." She suggested.

"And what of this, poultice that was found?" Uther asked us.

Gwen panicks. "What poultice?" She asks frantically. "I don't know anything about a poultice!"

"It was found in _your_ house." Uther says, rising from his throne. "Undo this enchantment, put an end to this contagion."

Gwen can't help but look at Uther in disbelief. "I can't!"

"I can show you no mercy." Uther says.

"I am not a witch!" Gwen insists. "I don't know how to stop the illness!" She cries.

"If you will not undo your sorcery, I must find you guilty." Uther states.

"But I've told you-" Gwen begins.

Uther cuts her off. "It is my duty to then pronouce judgement. And under the circumstances, I have no choice but to sentence you to death."

I can't help the gasp that escapes me, and apparently, neither can Morgana.

"No," Gwen desperately whispers.

"I can only hope that when you die, this evil plague dies with you." The guards lift Gwen. "Take her away." Uther commands.

Being the stupid person I am, I try to grab Gwen's hand, but the guards drag her from me. "No!" Gwen keeps weeping. "I'm innocent! Please help me!" She sobs as they drag her away. My heart pierces and tears threaten to fall over. Gwen was a very good friend and a very loyal one at that. I couldn't let her be executed.

I turn to Uther. "I know Gwen, she's my maidservant. She's no enchantress."

He turns to face me. "Have you ever seen an enchantress?" He asks. He continues when I don't answer. "They bear no mark. There is no sense of evil in the eye."

I cock my head. "Really? Cause I'm looking evil in the eye right now."

Uther's eyes widen. "Apologize at once."

I shake my head and narrow my eyes. "Never."

Morgana steps in before anything else can happen. "I've seen the way the girl works." Uther and I cool down, and he turns away. "Her fingers are worn, her nails are broken. If she was a sorceress, why would she kneel on a cold, stone floor, morning after morning, when she could do it with a snap of her fingers?" She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Like an idle King."

"You have no right!" Uther practically bellowed.

I stepped in. "You have a right to cast a judgement-"

The bastard cut me off. "I have a responsibility to take care of this Kingdom."

I throw my hands up. "What Kingdom?! You practically butchered half of it, and pretty much everybody is terrified of you!"

Uther glares at me so hard. Normally, I would have cowered under his glare, but I stand my ground. And yet somehow I I shrink while in the face of stupid 'popular' girls in my school. "I take no pleasure this."

"You're sentencing the wrong person!" Morgana insists.

I turn back to look at Arthur, who looked really conflicted about it. I give him a look, and he finally gathers all the bravado and courage that he claims to have and uses it. "They're right, father. You hear 'magic' and you stop listening to anything!"

Okay, so I was totally turned on over the way Arthur said it. Hey, I'm a hormonal young adult girl. So sue me.

"She used enchantments." Uther plainly stated.

"Maybe, but to save her father! That doesn't mean she's guilty for creating a plague." Arthur argued. "One's an act of kindness, of love, the other of evil. I don't believe evil is in this girl's heart."

I could kiss Arthur right now. I mean, I would kiss him any other time, but especially right now.

"I've witnessed what witchcraft can do." Uther stated. It takes everything in me not to yell such vicious things at him. Never mind, I hated Uther will _all_ my guts. "I've suffered at it's hands."

And it screwed you up royally too, buddy. "I cannot take that chance." he continues. "If there is the slightess doubt about this girl, she must die or the whole Kingdom may suffer."

Arthur butts in. "I understand that, but-" he stops after Uther gave him a glare that shut him up.

"One day, you will be King. Then you will understand. Such desicions must be made. There are dark forces that threaten this Kingdom."

"I know," Arthur snaps. "Witchcraft is an evil deed, but so is injustice."

Okay, I have to literally stop myself from wrapping my arms around Arthur.

"Yes. I am yet to be King, and I don't know what kind of King I will be, but I do have the sense of what kind of Kingdom I wish to rule." Arthur continues. "It will be where the punishment fits the crime."

Uther's head snaps to Arthur. "I fear you are right. She played with fire, and now she will die by it."

I scoff in disbelief, and grab him by the shoulder, ignoring his death glare. "I will not let you kill Guinevere."

"Oh? And what are you going to do to stop me?" he challenges me.

I shake my head at him in disgust. "You claim you've seen evil. That you've experienced it. But the ugly truth is, you wouldn't know what evil was even if you looked it right in the mirror."

This time when Uther gives me a death glare, I match it, then stalk out of the room. I needed to find Merlin. This is his mess, so he needs to clean it up!

...

I barely knock as I barge into Gaius' chambers. "All right Merlin, you got Gwen into this mess, you get her out. How could you have been so stupid? For a brilliant sorcerer, you sure don't act like one."

All my ice instantly melts at the hurt look on his face. I sigh and lower my head. "I'm sorry. I had a spat with Uther, and I'm letting it all out on you. And that isn't fair."

Merlin just nods in understanding. "No Lizzie, you're right. It was stupid. I thought I was doing good."

I hesitantly touch Merlin's shoulder, and when he doesn't recoil, I rub it gently. "I know you did. But maybe you just didn't show it in the best way."

Merlin nods, then sighs. "Well, I was just about to go see Gwen. Will you come with me?"

I nod, and we make our way to the dungeons. We go up to her cell. "Gwen," Merlin calls, getting her attention. She instantly stands up, and comes to us. She tries coming to the bars, but the chains binding her wrists together kinda complicates that. "Thank you." She says with tears in her eyes.

"What for?" Merlin asked, confused.

"For coming to see me." She explains.

I smile at her. "We're your friends Gwen. Of course we came."

"I'm sorry." Merlin apologizes.

"It's not your fault." Gwen assures him.

"Well-" Merlin tries, but Gwen interrupts him.

"It's all right. Don't worry about me." She says. "It's no use crying about it." She suddenly realizes what context that could have been in. "I-I mean, not that you were going to worry about it-don't think that..." She trails off.

Merlin just smiles painfully. "Oh Gwen, I can't let this happen."

Gwen ignores this. "Please, just promise me, one thing." She gulps. "You don't have to do it, but-" she hesitates.

"What?" I urge her.

She takes a deep, shaky breath. "Remember me."

Tears form in my eyes as Merlin shakes his head. "No. You're not going to die." He insists, mostly for his own benefit. "I'm not going to let this happen."

Gwen hesitantly nods, and Merlin takes off. I watch him leave, then turn back to Gwen. I smile encouragingly at her. "Don't worry. It's Merlin. He'll figure something out."

Gwen weakly smiles, but I can tell we were both thinking the same thing.

We are in a lot of trouble.

**THIRD PERSON POV**

Merlin decided that he couldn't let an innocent girl-especially someone like Gwen-die for his actions. He raced up to the throne room, where the King was holding a meeting.

He bursts through the door, and blurts, "It was me! It was me who used magic to cure Gwen's father."

Everybody in the room was stunned into silence, so Merlin continued. "Gwen isn't the sorcerer. I am."

Gaius stood, and angrily whispered, "Merlin!" his ears disbelieving. "Are you mad?"

"I cannot let Gwen die for me." Merlin explained. He turns to face Uther. "I put myself at your mercy."

Gaius turns to Uther as well. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"I do." Merlin insists.

"Then arrest him." Uther commands, taking a seat.

Arthur seems to panick, but conceals it well. "Father, please, this is madness!" he says, going to stand next to Merlin, who had been seized by two guards. "There is no way _Mer_lin is a sorcerer." He says.

"Did you hear him?" Uther asks.

"Yes, but-" Arthur began.

"He admitted it." Uther stated.

"He saved my life, remember, more than once." Arthur pointed out.

"Then why would he fabricate such a story?" Uther inquires.

Arthur stammers, but comes up with a lie. "Because, of what Gaius said. He's...got a...mental disease." He finishes.

"Really?" Uther asks, straightening up in his chair.

Arthur nods, and thinks of an idea to further the lie. "He's in love." Arthur says, his eyes automatically resting on the charm that Elizabeth had given to him. He hadn't taken it off since she had.

Merlin looks at him disbelieving. "What?"

"With Gwen." Arthur continues, again, his mind flashing to Elizabeth and her warm brown eyes.

"I am not-" Merlin tries to protest.

"Yes you are." Arthur tells him.

"No-wait!" Merlin tries again.

"I saw you yesterday with that flower she gave you." Arthur points out.

Merlin laughs nervously. "I'm not in love with her!"

Arthur casually drops an arm around Merlin's shoulders. "It's all right." Arthur reassures him. "You can admit it." He says, gesturing to the group of people.

"I don't even think of her like that!" Merlin tries to argue.

"Perhaps she's cast a spell on you." Uther says, leaning against the back of a chair.

Merlin and Arthur both froze, unsure of what the King had meant, which is when he began to laugh, which made Arthur join in. But mostly in relief.

He shakes Merlin's shoulders. "Merlin is a wonder, but the wonder is, that he is such, an _idiot_." he says, flicking Merlin to the side. "There is no way he is a sorcerer." He says firmly.

"Don't waste my time again." Uther says, returning to his work. "Let him go."

Merlin turns to leave, leaving the poor warlock bufuddled as to how to stop Gwen's rapidly approaching execution.

**TBC...**

**Not that long, but still pretty good. Part three hopefully up soon!**

**Liz's outfit on Polyvore, as usual!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	7. The Mark of Nimueh part 3

**AN: Hey!**

**I'm sorry I had to split this episode into three parts instead of two. But here's the last part!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. ONLY ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

I run to Gaius' chambers. Morgana just told me that Merlin tried to take the fall for Gwen. God, this guy is such an idiot!

I run inside, not bothering to knock. "Are you stupid?" Merlin and Gaius instantly turn around. "What was taking the fall for Gwen gonna do?"

"Save her from execution!" Merlin says back.

"Fat lot of good it did! The best way to help Gwen is to find out what's causing the disease!"

"Well, whatever it is, one things for sure, Arthur's not going to find it. He thinks he is _so_ sharp, that even when I told him I was a wizard, he still couldn't see it." Merlin says.

"Contrary to Uther's belief, finding a wizard isn't the easiest thing to spot." I tell him.

"Maybe I should go around wearing a pointy hat?" Merlin suggests.

"I don't think you'll find one big enough." Gaius says.

"Besides," I jump in. "I think your scarf is better."

Merlin looks down to his scarf and blushes. "Thanks."

"Anyway, forget that. If we want to save Gwen, we need to find out what's contaminating the water." Gaius says, tossing a bag to Merlin.

I go to follow them, when Merlin stops me. "What're you doing?"

"I'm coming with you. Gwen is one of my very best friends, and I'm not going to stand by and let her be executed. Let's go." I say, grabbing his arm and following Gaius.

We walk to a door that's under the castle, and Gaius opens it with a key. We follow him through the door, and are engulfed by darkness.

"The water from here supplies the whole town. Take a sample." Gaius instructs Merlin.

Merlin does so. "Let's take it back and examine it."

As we turn to leave, the Afanc pops out of the water. Merlin instinctively pushes me behind him. "What the hell was that?"

Gaius takes Merlin's arm, Merlin grabs my hand, and we run out of there. We go back to Gaius' chambers, who proceeds to take out a book, and flip through the pages. He stops on a page. "Here. It was an Afanc."

"An...a what?" Merlin asks confused.

"A beast born of clay, and conjured up only by the most powerful sorcerer. Now we have to find a way to defeat it. But where?" Gaius says, turning back to the bookshelf.

"That could take days. Gwen'll be dead by then." Merlin insists.

"Have you got a better idea?" Gaius asks.

...

While Merlin goes to see Gwen, I go to Kilgharrah. I manage to sneak past the guards, and into the cave. This time, I grabbed a torch to give light. "Hello?" I called. "I need help!"

The Dragon flew down, and settled on his rock. "What is it, young Dimension Traveller?"

"All these things, that I know. I know everything that is going to happen, I know it does. Do I do anything to stop it?" I ask.

Kilgharrah thinks for a second. "You were brought here, because of your knowledge. Your knowledge is to help the young Warlock and the Once and Future King."

"So you're saying that I should do something." I summarize.

"Some information is to be used, others kept hidden."

"So what are you saying?" I ask, completely frustrated.

"I am saying to use your information wisely." He says, flying off.

"Hey! Wait! Don't go! WAIT!" I shouted. I screamed in frustration. I always complained about Merlin going to see this Dragon. I really need to take my own advice.

...

I run to Gaius' chambers. Arthur just told me that they're bringing forward Gwen's execution. I didn't bother knocking, just barging through the door.

"Have you found anything yet?" I ask frantically.

Merlin and Gaius stop looking for a book. "I think I've found something. I just need the book..." Merlin says.

"You going to tell me which one?" Gaius asks.

"A book on elements." he says.

"Elements?" Gaius repeats.

Merlin nods. "Yes. Which one would I find them in?"

"Well, most of them. The study of base elements is at the very heart of the scientific process." Gaius says, taking a book out.

"But how would they help me kill the Afanc?" Merlin wonders.

"Well, the Afanc is a creature made from earth and water. That's two of the four base elements." Gaius explains.

"What about the other two?" Merlin says.

"Maybe they'll destroy it. Fire. Wind and fire. Those are the other two elements." I say.

Merlin looks at me surprised. "How do you know?"

I smirk. "Well, I am a well educated young woman, Merlin."

"How did you find this out?" Gaius asks.

"Erm...I just knew, you know? One of my powers." Merlin puts up.

"What else do your powers tell you?" I joke.

"That I am only one side of a coin. The brighter side, obviously." he states.

"And who's the other side?" Gaius asks.

"I think that might be Arthur. And there's one more person that's connected somehow." Merlin says.

I scrunch my eyebrows. "What? Who?" Was that person me?

Merlin didn't get the chance to explain, because Morgana ran in. "They're bringing forward the execution. We have to prove Gwen's innocence."

"We're trying." Gaius insists.

Morgana walked to stand next to me, and hooks her arm through mine. "Please, just tell me what we can do to help." I nod.

"We need Arthur." Merlin explains.

"Arthur?" Morgana asks in confusion.

"There's a monster, an Afanc, in the water supply. That's what's causing the plague." Merlin tells her.

"Well, we must tell Uther." Morgana insists.

I shake my head at her. "The Afanc's from magic. Telling Uther wouldn't solve anything, he'd just say that she conjured it."

"So what are we to do?" Morgana asks.

"We need to destroy it. Then the plague will stop and Uther may see sense." Merlin says.

Morgana dawns with realization. "And that's why you need Arthur."

"He's our best chance. But he's not going to want to disobey the King." Merlin points out.

Morgana nods, then looks to me. "Leave that to Liz."

My widen. "What?" I ask, confused, but Morgana just dragged me out of the room.

...

I don't know how she did it, but Morgana managed to convince me to talk Arthur into destroying the Afanc. If I ever get home, I need Morgana to teach me her tricks so I can talk Emma into cleaning the flat once in a while.

The door opens, and Arthur walks in. He looks at me confused. "You alright? Sorry about all this." He gestures to the mess of food on the table. "Merlin's not been in today."

I chuckle to myself. "Poor Merlin."

"Yeah." Arthur says, putting his jacket on.

"To offer to give up his life to save Gwen's." I say. "I certainly can't imagine any man loving me so much."

"No, I certainly can't imagine that either." Arthur jokes.

I smirk. " That's because you aren't like Merlin. He's a lover. A very sweet man." I say, smiling to myself, thinking about how sweet he was when he was with Freya.

"Yeah, maybe that's because I haven't found the right person to love." Arthur tells me.

"Sadly the age of gallantry seems to be all but dead. You look around and all you see are small men, not big enough to fill their armour. There's not one of them that's able to stand up for what is right." I say, using Morgana's words to manipulate him.

Arthur smirks at me. "What do you want me to do?"

...

Arthur follows Morgana and I into the Square, where Merlin meets us. Arthur draws his sword, lights a torch, and we walk in. I grab another torch for good measure.

"You'd better be right about this, Merlin." Arthur says to him.

There's a low growl. Morgana gasps, and I jump. Hey, any rational person would have.

"You two should stay here." Arthur tells me.

I shake my head. "We're coming with you."

"No."

Morgana cocks her head to the side and smirk. "Scared we'll show you up?"

"Father will slam us all in chains if he knew I'd endangered the both of you."

"Well it's a good thing he doesn't know then." I say.

"I'm telling you, Elizabeth, Morgana, turn back. You could get hurt." Arthur insists.

Really? Him and Uther are pretty much the only ones that call me by my full name. "You could too...if you don't get out of my way." I say, walking infront of Arthur, trying not to laugh at the look on Merlin's face. Morgana though, doesn't care and does laugh.

We start walking farther into the tunnel. "How are we going to find it?"

"I just hope we find it before it finds us." Merlin says.

Arthur hears something, and spins around. "Stop."

"What?" Merlin asks.

"It's just a shadow." Arthur says, brushing it off.

We keep walking. I know the Afanc is creeping behind us, so I move closer to Arthur. I almost even grabbed Arthur's hand, but stopped myself.

We get to the water source. "Spread out." Arthur tells us.

We split up. I hear the Afanc growl, and Morgana and I run to where Arthur was. "What is it? Are you okay?" I ask.

Arthur nods. "Yeah."

Merlin joins us. "Did you see it?"

"Yes." Arthur nods.

"What did it look like?" he asks.

"It, it's quick." Arthur answers.

The Afanc comes in front of me, and I shriek. Hey! This is the scariest thing I've ever seen! And I used to live in the 21 century, we had impressive animation skills.

Arthur pushes me behind him and swipes at it, but it disappears again. "Where is it?" He asks.

"I think it's gone this way!" Merlin yells.

Arthur, Morgana and I follow him. The Afanc creeps around the corner, and comes into view. Arthur makes a move to stab it, and it knocks his sword out of his hand. The Afanc comes closer to me, and I keep my torch infront of me. It knocks my torch out of my hand. Arthur distracts the Afanc with his torch, and I run to Merlin, who pushes me behind him, where Morgana was too. I grab her hand, and she squeezes back tightly. Arthur begins to circle the Afanc.

"Arthur, use the torch!" Merlin yells to him.

Arthur swings the torch at it, and Merlin mutters, "Lyfte ic þe in balwen ac forhienan."

His incantation blows flames into the Afanc, blowing it up.

_** Third person's POV...**_

Deep in the cave of Nimueh, she watches the situation that had unfolded in her stone basin.

"Merlin." She hisses. "Mah!" She splashes the water in anger.

...

In his throne room, Uther laughs over some parchments with his advisors. "It's very good." He tells them.

The court physician walks in. "Good news, Sire. There are no new deaths, and those that are sick are recovering."

Uther nods. "Good. Strange, I've never heard of an Afanc before." he says, sipping from his goblet.

"It's conjured from clay by powerful magic. The type that can only be invoked by an ancient sorcerer." Uther's face turns grave as he lowers his goblet. "One that has the power to mirror the spirit of life. I found this at the water source." The old physician holds up a cracked egg shell. "It bears the mark of Nimueh." He flips the shell over, showing the King the Mark. "We must be vigilant, Sire."

"Will I never be rid of her?" Uther asks, disbelieving.

"Sire." Gaius tries.

"Leave me!" The King commands, and everyone in the room complies as he sits on his throne to ponder what this could mean in the future.

_** Elizabeth's POV...**_

In the dungeons, some guards open Gwen's cell. Me, Morgana, Merlin, and Gwen's father all walk in. Well, Tom runs in, and gathers Gwen into a hug. Merlin and I smile at the love between the two.

Gwen reaches forward and grabs my hand. "Thank you!"

I laugh. "Don't thank me." I point to Merlin. "It was more Merlin."

Gwen looks geniunely surprised. "Really?"

Morgana smiles and nods. "He's the real hero here."

"I don't know what to say." Gwen tells him.

Merlin smiles really big. "I didn't do anything. Really."

"I'm- I'm grateful to you all. Come on, Gwen." Tom says, taking Gwen's hand and leaving.

Merlin moves to leave too, but Morgana calls him back. "Merlin. I wanted you to know, your secret's safe with me."

I try not to laugh at the look on Merlin's face, but it's really more of the fact that I know what comes after.

"My secret?" Merlin asks, stammering a little.

"Merlin, don't pretend. I know what you did." Morgana says, nodding her head.

"You do?" Merlin says unbelieving.

"I saw it with my own eyes." She grabs my hand. "We both did."

Merlin looks from Morgana to me. Poor boy must be so confused, because I already knew his 'secret'. Well, his real one at least. "You did?"

"I understand why you don't anyone to know." Morgana explains.

"Well, obviously." Merlin says, in somewhat relief.

"But we won't tell anyone." It's almost scary, how close Morgana and I are. We pretty much have the same thought process. "You don't mind us talking to you about it?"

"Er...no. I, I, it's, er...you have no idea how hard it is to keep this hidden." He says, sighing.

"Well, you can continue to deny it, but we think Gwen's a very lucky woman." She finishes.

Merlin pauses. "Gwen?"

Morgana raises her finger to her lips, and tap them. "It's our secret." She smiles, and leaves, taking me with her. Merlin looks at me in disbelief, but I just shake my head at him.

_**Third person POV...**_

Merlin stops chewing his delicious meal. "This fish didn't come from the water, did it?" He asks, pointing down to said fish.

"Well, where else is it going to come from?" Gaius says. Merlin looks like he's about to spit out the fish, because Gaius says, "The water's fine now. That's not your worry. This is the work of a very powerful sorcerer. I only hope you didn't come to her attention."

Merlin shrugs it off. "Doubt it. Well, no one else seems to appreciate my skills. I just want someone to see me for who I am."

"One day, Merlin. One day." Gaius reassures him, getting up from the table to grab his goblet.

"One day what?" Merlin asks, confused.

"One day people won't believe what an idiot you were." Gaius says, patting Merlin on the back.

"Thanks." Merlin says sarcastically, which causes Gaius to laugh. Merlin can't help himself, and joins in.

_** Back in Nimueh's cave...**_

The High Priestess watches Merlin and Gaius as they toast their meal.

She glares at the imagery in her stone basin. "Merlin, you will pay for this!" She hisses.

**TBC...**

**Finally, the Mark of Nimueh is finished! This never was my favourite episode. I guess that's why it took me so long. Anyway, next up is the Poisoned Chalice! So excited for that! Oh, and then Lancelot...Whoa, getting ahead of myself!**

**So why do you think Elizabeth and Morgana seem to be so close?**

**Lizzie's outfits on Polyvore, whose link is in my profile!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	8. The Poisoned Chalice

**AN: HEY I AM SO EXCITED.**

**Because the Poisoned Chalice is one of my favourite episodes of season 1. I've been looking forward to this episode since The Dragon's Call lol. **

**This chapter is super special awesome! Know why?**

**BECAUSE IT'S ALL OF THE POISONED CHALICE. YES, NO PART 1 OR 2. JUST ONE WHOLE CHAPTER.**

**Now, won't keep you waiting!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN IS NOT MINE.**

**Enjoy!**

Today was the day that Bayard was coming to sign the peace treaty. Needless to say, I wasn't very excited.

Okay, that was a total lie. I was about to meet an actual King! From another Kingdom! Who, okay, is convicted of trying to poison Arthur, but who cares!

I'm walking in the corridors when I see Merlin carrying all of Arthur's stuff. "Why do I always get landed with the donkey work?" He asks Gaius.

"You're a servant Merlin. It's what you do." I say, walking up behind Gaius.

"My arms will be a foot longer by the time I get this all inside." Merlin complains.

"It's character building." Gaius explains. "As the old proverb says, 'Hard work breeds," Gaius pauses, trying to think of a way to continue. "A harder soul." He ends lamely.

"There is no way that is a proverb, you just made that up." Merlin accuses him.

I chuckle and move to leave, when somebody trips in front of Merlin. Being someone raised to help anybody when they need it, I instantly come back. "Sorry." The voice says.

"No, it's all right. Let me give you a hand with that." Merlin says, bending down to help her. I do the same thing.

She and Merlin look up at the same time, and my heart stops when I realize that it was Nimueh. Merlin looks at Nimueh in awe, and Nimueh pretends to look the same way. We all stand up at the same time. Gaius must have sensed that something was wrong with me, because he gave me a look. I quickly shrug it off.

"Hello," Merlin says, extending his hand. "I'm Merlin."

"Cara." Nimueh says, taking his hand. "You're Arthur's servant." She states. "It must be such an honour."

"Oh yeah, it is." Merlin says, trying to impress the girl. Even though there was nothing humorous about this situation, I had to fight to keep a laugh in. I know, I'm really weird. "Well, someone's got to keep the place running."

Gaius gives Merlin a pointed look, which Merlin pretends to ignore. "Thank you Merlin." Nimueh says. He looks a bit confused at first, then laughs to himself when he realized that he was still holding a piece of clothing from Nimueh's basket. "Oh, yeah. No problem." He puts it back ontop of the basket.

"It was nice meeting you." She says in a far off voice. I try not to roll my eyes. I regain my composture when she turns and curtsies to me. "My Lady." Then she leaves.

Merlin watches after her, smiling the whole time. I don't really know why, but I get really angry at that. I snap my fingers in front of him. "Shouldn't you be busy running the place?" I ask, somewhat bitterly. I walk past a laughing Gaius, who was shaking his head. He follows after me, and stops me by taking my hand.

"Liz, are you alright?" He asks worriedly.

I nod, a sweet smile plastered on my face. "Of course Gaius, why would I not be?"

Gaius just shakes his head. "Well, you looked like you had seen a ghost when you got a look of Cara's face."

I shake my head, dismissing it. "No, I just feel like I've met her before, is all."

"Have you?" Gaius asks.

I shake my head again, and look after where Nimueh left. "Trust me, Gaius. I'd never forget that face." I can tell Gaius is going to ask me something about my cryptic response, but I quickly make up an excuse. "I'm sorry Gaius. I have to go see Morgana about something." Then I turn around, and walk away, double time.

...

Okay, Merlin in the show's clothes looked compeltely hilarious, but Merlin in real life's clothes were somehow even funnier. I guess it's because I actually get to see it in real life. But either way, I have to conceal my laughter at the head of the table.

I see Nimueh and Merlin making a bit of eye contact again, and get mad again. This guy seriously can't see her evil? Hang on, you totally said that you can't see evil. But it's clear on Nimueh! OH MY GOD, LIZ, STOP. PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO STARE AT YOUR WEIRD FACIAL RESPONSES TO YOUR OWN MIND CONVERSATION.

Uther and Bayard shake hands, and we all clap. Then Bayard begins his speech. "People of Camelot. For a great many years, we have been mortal enemies. The blood of our men stains the grounds, from the walls of Camelot, to the gates of Merica." A woman brings the box containing the goblets. "And while we honour those that died, we must not allow anymore to join them. As a symbol, of our good will, and of our newfound friendship, I present these ceremonial goblets." Bayard takes them out of the box. "To you, Uther, to your son, Arthur," Then to my surprise, he takes another goblet out. "And to Elizabeth, your Lady of Camelot."

Okay, hang on. Was I supposed to get a goblet from Bayard? I don't remember Morgana getting one.

"In the hope that our friendship may last." Bayard finishes.

I look over to Merlin, and see him leaving with Cara. My heart starts to beat really quickly. He can't drink the poison. He can't. I'm going to have to find a way to make him not.

In the next two minutes. Very clever, Lizzie.

"Tonight, we toast to a new beginning to our people. We look to a future free from the toils of war." Bayard continues.

Man, when Arthur was saying that Bayard's speech was boring, he wasn't kidding. We don't hear the rest of it in the episode because we hear Nimueh telling Merlin about the goblets instead.

I had almost fallen asleep when Bayard's servant brings the goblets to us. "And may the differences from our past, remain there." he raises his goblet. "To your health, Uther. Arthur." Arthur goes to drink from his goblet, and I almost slap it out of his hand. "The Lady Elizabeth." Bayard says, inclining his goblet to me, to which I raise it. "The Lady Morgana." Bayard turns in a circle, gesturing to everyone in the room. "The people of Camelot."

"And to fallen warriors on both sides." Uther adds solemly.

I'm about to finally sip from my goblet when Merlin runs it. "Stop! They're poisoned! Don't drink it."

'They are'? What was he talking about? It was only when Merlin grabbed the goblet from Arthur _and_ my hand's did I realize that my goblet was laced too. God dammit, Nimueh!

"What?" Uther asks.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" Arthur asks in disbelief.

"Bayard laced Arthur's and Elizabeth's goblets with poison." Merlin announced to everyone in the room.

"This is an outrage!" Bayard yells, drawing his sword, his men doing the same thing. Camelot's Knights draw their swords as well. "Tell your men to put down their swords," Uther tells him, as more guards come rushing in. "You are outnumbered."

Bayard considers it, then says, "I will not allow this insult to go unchallenged."

"On what grounds do you base this accusation?" Uther asks Merlin.

"I'll handle this." Arthur says, going over to Merlin. "Merlin, you idiot." He grabs Merlin and takes the goblets from him. "Have we been at the slow gin again?

"Unless he wants to be strung up, he will tell me why he thinks it's poisoned." Uther says, looking Merlin dead in the eye.

"He was seen lacing it." Merlin answers his King.

"By who?" Uther asks.

Merlin hesitates, but then says, "I can't say."

"I won't listen to this anymore." Bayard tells Uther.

"Pass me the goblets." Uther says to Arthur, who does so. Uther strolls up to Bayard.

"If you're telling the truth-" Uther begins.

"I am." Bayard insists, cutting Uther off.

"Then you have nothing to fear, do you?" Uther says.

Bayard puts his sword away, and motions for the goblets.

"No," Uther says. "If this does prove to be poison, I want the pleasure of killing you myself." Uther turns and holds the goblets out to Merlin. "You drink it."

I shake my head in disbelief and walk up to Uther. "But if they're poisoned, he'll die. And there are two goblets, double the poison." I point out.

Uther nods. "Then we will know if he was telling the truth. He will drink half of each goblet."

Merlin takes the goblets as Bayard asks, "And what if he lives?"

"Then you have my apologies, and you can do with him as you will." Uther tells him.

"Uther please, he's just a boy. He doesn't know what he's saying." Gaius pleads.

"Then you should have schooled him better." Uther simply replies.

"Merlin, apologize, this is a mistake, I'll drink it." Arthur says, moving to the goblets.

I panic. Come on brain, think! "No, you are the Prince of Camelot." I say, putting a hand in front of Arthur. Without thinking, my feet move to the goblets. "I'll drink it." I suddenly blurt. Have I ever mentioned how smart you are, brain?

"No, no no." Merlin insists, pushing me gently back. "It's all right." He looks Bayard dead in the eye.

This time I can't help myself. I grab Arthur's hand and squeeze it. I quickly realize what I had done, and let it go. Merlin raises his goblet to Bayard. I give him a look pleading not to do it. He just gives me a weak smile, then tips half of Arthur's goblet into his mouth, then half of my goblet.

We all watch in anticipation as Merlin swallows the equivalent of one goblet. He looks from Bayard to Uther, and says, "It's fine."

"He's all yours." Uther says, sitting down.

"Like hell he is." I say, then try to go infront of Merlin. But stupid Arthur holds me back. I turn to glare at him, when I hear choking.

We all turn to Merlin, who looks like he's trying to claw the fire from the poison out of his throat. Then without warning, he drops to the ground. I don't know what came over me, but I drop to the ground next to him. "Merlin!"

"He's poisoned!" Uther says, standing up.

You have no idea how much self control I had to use not to yell, 'No shit, Sherlock.'

Bayard, his knights, and the Knights of Camelot all draw their swords. I look over to Morgana, and she had her own knife out. I look back to Merlin, and gently touch his face. "Merlin?"

Gaius came down next to me. I made room for him to examine Merlin. "Merlin? Can you hear me?" Gaius asks. He looks to Arthur. "We have to get him back to my chambers. Bring the goblets, I have to identify the poison." Arthur picks Merlin up, and Gwen grabs both goblets. Well, no way was I staying here.

I followed them all into Gaius' chambers. "Lay him on the bed quickly. He's struggling to breath." Gaius tells Arthur.

"Gwen, fetch me some water and a towel." Gaius asks her. I go get the towel, and Gwen gets the water.

"Is he going to be alright?" Arthur asks.

"He's burning up." Gaius tells him.

Gwen hands him the bucket, and I give him the towel. "You can cure him, can't you Gaius?" Gwen asks.

"I won't know until I can identify the poison." Gaius says, laying the towel on his forehead. "Pass me the goblet."

Gwen hands it to him. Gaius inspects it. " There's something stuck on the inside." Gaius gets up and goes to his table.

"What is it?" I ask, getting up to follow him, and Arthur follows me.

"It looks like a flower petal of some kind." Gaius answers, taking the petal out.

"His brow's on fire." Gwen calls out to him.

"Keep him cool; it'll help control his fever." Gaius tells her, going to take a book out. He stops on a page. "Ah. The petal comes from the Mortaeus flower. It says here that someone poisoned by the Mortaeus can only be saved by a potion made from the leaf of the very same flower." Gaius reads, looking at Arthur and me. "It can only be found in the caves deep beneath the Forest of Balor. The flower grow on the roots of the Mortaeus tree."

Arthur points to the dragon thing on the page before it. "That's not particularly friendly.

Gaius reads on."A Cockatrice. It guards the forest. Its venom is potent. A single drop would mean certain death." Arthur looks over to Merlin as Gaius continues to talk. "Few who have crossed the Mountains of Isgaard in search of the Mortaeus flower have made it back alive."

Arthur paces a decent distance from the table, and ponders for a minute. "Sounds like fun." He says finally, walking to the door.

"Arthur, it's too dangerous." Gaius protests.

"If I don't get the antidote, what happens to Merlin?" Arthur asks.

"The Mortaeus induces a slow and painful death . He may hold out for four, maybe five days, but not for much longer. Eventually he will die." Gaius explains solemly.

Arthur nods, then leaves. I look over to Merlin, who looks like he's getting worse by the second. "Yeah. A lot of fun." I go and run after Arthur.

"Hey! Wait!" I called after him. He slows down, but doesn't stop running. I roll my eyes. "I'm going with you."

Arthur shakes his head. "No, you're not."

"Yes, I am." I argue.

"Lizzie, you could get yourself hurt." He tells me.

"So could you." I retort. "Merlin risked his life for me too. I'm coming. No arguements." I walked past Arthur. "Meet me at my chambers, I'm going to change. You leave without me I swear you will regret it." I say, running to my room.

...

After wearing nothing but dresses for the past couple months, it feels really weird wearing trousers and a shirt. Don't get me wrong, it feels totally nice. Just a little weird.

Arthur and I walked behind Uther. "What's the point of having people to taste for you if you're going to get yourself killed anyway?"

"We won't fail, no matter what you think." Arthur insists.

"Arthur, you are my only son and heir. Elizabeth, I had been entrusted with your care by your parents. I can't risk losing the both you for the sake of some serving boy."

"Oh, because his life's worthless?" Arthur asks.

Uther stops walking and faces us. "No, because it's worth less than yours."

"You let him die Uther Pendragon and I will never forgive you." I tell him.

"What is this fascination with the serving boy?" Uther asks me.

"This serving boy saved your son's life, on more than one occasion, I might add." I tell him.

"We can save him. Let us take some men." Arthur says.

"No." Uther says.

"We'll find the antidote and bring it back." Arthur says, ignoring what Uther said.

"No." He repeats.

"Why not?!" We both ask at the same time.

"Because one day I will be dead and Camelot will need a king. I'm not going to let you jeopardise the future of this kingdom over some fool's errand." Uther practically yells.

"It's not a fool's errand. Gaius says that if we can get the antidote..." I try saying.

"Oh, Gaius says? That's exactly what makes it so." Uther says sarcastically.

"Please, Father." Arthur pleads. "He saved my life. I can't stand by and watch him die."

"Me neither." I say.

"Then don't look." Uther says, venom dripping off of his tongue. "This boy won't be the last to die on your behalf. You're going to be King. It's something you'll have to get used to."

"I can't accept that." Arthur says.

"You're not going." Uther says, trying to end the discussion.

"You can't stop us." Arthur argues.

"Damn it, Arthur, that's an end to it! You're not leaving this castle tonight." Uther says, turning to leave.

"He might not be going, but I am." Uther turns around with a death glare. "I'm not the heir to Camelot. And you of all people are certainly not going to stop me." I spin on my heel and storm out.

"I am your King!" Uther bellows.

"Does it look like I care?" I call out to him, still walking.

...

I asked one of the stable boys to get my horse ready, since frankly, I still don't know how. I mean, I've ridden a few horses in my life, back when I had the time to ride horses. Past couple years have been nothing but homework, school, getting into college, then college, then more homework. I watch him step by step. I grab the horse's reign, then walk her out of the stable. I run into somebody, and almost crash to the ground, but two strong arms hold me up. "Are you okay Elizabeth?" Arthur asks.

I nod. "I'm fine."

"Wait for me? I'm going to go get a horse." He goes to walk into the stables. I smile at him. "What made you change your mind?"

He shrugs. "I just did what any noble King would do." He smiles at me, then goes inside. I blush, and make sure I have everything before I leave.

Arthur comes back out. "You ready?" I nod, and I climb ontop of my horse. I am so glad I remembered how to get on a horse. How embarrasing would that be?

Arthur and I ride across the drawbridge. Some guards try to stop us, but they move out of the way of the running horses. From what I remembered, the poison was being accelerated. We better hurry with this antidote!

...

After we ride through the mountains and forest, I get bored out of my mind. Riding on a horse can be painful! I will never take cars for granted ever again!

Arthur sees a girl, who could only be Nimueh. "Lizzie, hang on."

I'm not really paying attention, because I'm looking around for the Cockatrice. I know it was somewhere, but I'm not sure the exact location.

Arthur stops his horse, and begins to tie it to a tree. I snap back into reality and slide off my horse. Just as Arthur goes to Nimueh, I grab his arm. "What are you doing?"

He gestures to the woman. "I'm going to see if she needs help."

He moves to leave again, but I tug on his arm again. "Arthur, we have to get Merlin the antidote. He's going to die soon!"

Arthur eased my iron grip off of him. "Relax, Lizzie. Merlin has a few days. This will only take a minute." He leaves again, but turns around. "You can leave or come if you want."

I don't want to stand here alone, and I want to make sure Nimueh doesn't decide to try anything. "I'll come."

We slowly approach Nimueh, who is sitting on a fallen log, with those fake bruises on her arm.

I stand behind Nimueh, and Arthur crouches in front of her. "Hello? Are you alright?" Arthur asks.

Suddenly, the Cockatrice roars. I yelp, and Arthur says, "Stay back."

Arthur circles the beast. The Cockatrice lunges, Arthur rolls under it as it jumps, then throws his sword, killing it. Nimueh and I grimace, but I'm pretty sure her's is fake. Arthur looks at her and she gets up and backs away in pretend fear. She accidently bumps into me, and quickly turns. Her eyes widen when she sees me. I guess she's waiting for me to recognize her. I go along with her little game, and decide not to.

Arthur walks slowly up to her. "It's alright. We're not going to hurt you." Arthur points to the bruises and cuts on her arms. "Who did that to you?"

"My master." She says in a pitiful voice. "I ran away from him, but then I got lost." Nimueh lies. "Please don't leave me."

"We won't. We're not going to." Arthur says, coming closer to us, practically standing next to me.

"Speak for yourself." I mutter. And either Arthur hears me, or he chose to ignore me. I think it's the first one though.

"You two can take me away from here?" Fake hope in her voice.

I shake my head. "Not yet. There's something we have to do first." I look into the direction of the cave mouth.

Nimueh's eyes travel there too. "Why have you come to the caves?" She asks, as I go to get my horse.

Arthur follows me. "We're looking for something. It can only be found here."

"What is it? I know this place; I could help you." Nimueh offers with fake sincerity.

"It's a type of flower that only grows inside the cave. It's very rare." Arthur explains.

"The Mortaeus flower? I know where they are. I'll show you." Nimueh says, beginning to walk to the cave.

Arthur looks to me. I just shrug, but I think he knows me better than that. He knows I have a bad feeling about this. While in truth, I have a horrible feeling about this.

But we do need the flower, so I begin to follow her anyways. Once we're deep enough in the cave, Nimueh points to the flowers. "There they are."

The beautiful, powerful flowers are on the across a large gap with a narrow ledge and long drop. Arthur and I look down, then to each other.

"Keep back from the edge. Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon." Arthur tries to assure Nimueh.

I'm not letting him go there alone, so I extend my hand. One look from my face shows that there is no room for arguement, so Arthur grabs it, and we slowly and carefully cross to the flowers.

Behind us, Nimueh begins chanting. _"Eorthe, lyft, fyr, waeter, hiersumie me."_

At her spell, the caves begin shaking. Nimueh continues. _"Eorthe ac stanas hiersumie me. Ic can stanas tobrytan..."_

"What are you doing?!" Arthur half asked and half yelled.

_"...hiersumie me." _Nimueh finishes.

Arthur drops his torch as the rock falls out beneath us. We quickly exchange a look, and we jump to the opposite ledge. We barely latch on. Oh, man, _such intense pain._ I never thought I'd actually have to thank high school PE class!

"I expected so much more." Nimueh says with venom.

"Who are you?!" Arthur yells.

"The last face you two will ever see." She says menancingly.

Then, THE GIGANTIC SPIDER from the episode crawls over the rocks.

"It seems we have a visitor." Nimueh says.

Okay, this is really embarrassing, but I have an intense fear of spiders. I don't remember what happened, but ever since I was a kid, I've always hated them. And I must have carried that trait here, because Arthur looks over to me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I shake my head. "Get it out of here!"

Arthur and I edge away from the spider. Arthur draws his sword and kills it while dangling from the ledge, I breath a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about, I guess.

"Very good." Nimueh congratualtes. "But he won't be the last. I'll let his friends finish you both off, Arthur Pendragon and Elizabeth Malinor. It's not your destinies to die at my hand." Then she leaves with the torch, Arthur and I dangling from the ledge. In the complete dark.

Damn bitch.

"Who are you?!" Arthur tries again.

I groan. "Save it, Arthur. She's not going to tell us."

I'm guessing he turned to look at me. "You knew. You knew something was off when I went to help her."

Busted! "I, just felt like I've seen her before." I am getting so good at lying it isn't even funny.

Arthur doesn't say anything back, because the light that Merlin radiated in the episode comes to us.

"Come on, then! What are you waiting for?! Finish us off!" Arthur shouts.

"No Arthur." I say quietly. "I think it's trying to help us."

The light floats above us, and Arthur begins climbing until he's pulled himself onto the ledge. I move to climb too, but suddenly feel a sharp pain through my knee. It was so painful, I let out a yelp and nearly let go of the ledge.

"What? What is it?" Arthur asks, going crazily concerned.

I look down to my leg. "It's my leg, I think I pulled something." Arthur grabs me by the arms, and helps me up to the ledge. Who are we kidding, the man lifted me up. Those are some nice muscles too.

Once I was on the ledge, Arthur sat me down as best as he could. I took my dagger out of my pocket (he, did I mention I get a dagger? Ooh, the perks of being in the 6th century! You can carry weapons and it's totally not illegal!). Arthur spots the Mortaeus flower on the wall, and moves to get it.

_"Leave them Arthur, Lizzie."_ I hear.

I frantically look around me. I know Merlin's voice over was in the show, but I'm guessing not in real life. Maybe it's like that thing with Mordred, where Merlin and him could talk to each other through their heads. Maybe I was picking up radio signals or something.

Suddenly, we hear spider screeches, and they begin crawling towards us.

_ "Go. Save yourself. Follow the light." _God dammit, there's the voice again!

It takes a bit of time, but Arthur climbs to the flower and manages to grab one. He hands it to me, and I quickly put in in my pouch on my belt.

Arthur leans down to try and help me up. I just shake my head. "Go." I whisper.

"What?" He asked, astonished.

I give him a serious look. "We need to get that flower to Merlin. If I go with you, I'll only slow you down." I take a deep breath at the hurt look on his face. "Leave me, just go."

Arthur shakes his head. "No."

"Merlin needs this Arthur, just go!" I say furiously.

Arthur shakes his head again. "I am not leaving without you." To my surprise, he cups my face. "I'm either going with you, or not at all." He says, quite passionately, I might add.

I feel a blush crawl into my cheeks, and a bit of tears well up in my eyes. Hey, this was totally the first serious romantic moment I have ever been in, especially with someone like Arthur Pendragon. Let me soak this moment up. I nod slightly and sniffle a little. "Okay." I whisper.

Arthur helps me up, and we quickly climb, me trying as hard as I could, and stupid Arthur actually _waiting_ for me (okay so maybe it was actually totally romantic and sweet).

_"Faster. Go faster. Follow the light!"_ Merlin's voice says in my head.

'Hey, I'm trying as hard as I can buddy.' I think back. I wonder if he heard it. Hmm.

Arthur and I get out of the cave. He helps me back on my horse, and we ride back to Camelot.

...

So of course the first thing that Uther does when we get to Camelot is throw us in jail.

I sat in the corner of the cell, resting my leg while Arthur argued with Uther.

"You disobeyed me." Uther stated.

"Of course we did, a man's life was at stake." I say.

Arthur nods at what I said. "Do not let Merlin die because of something we did."

"Why do you care so much? The boy is just servant." Uther says.

"He knew the danger he was putting himself in, and he knew what would happen if he drank from those goblets, but he did it anyway. He saved our lives." Arthur stated.

"There's more." I piped up, and they both look to me. "There was a woman at the mountain. She knew we were there for the flower. I don't think it was Bayard who tried to poison us."

"Of course it was." Uther dismisses.

Arthur gestures to me. "Elizabeth's injured, won't you allow her treatment?" Arthur yelled.

"No!" Uther bellows. "This is hers and yours punishment for disobeying me."

With great struggle, I stood up. Arthur comes to me. "The flower, Lizzie."

My hand goes to my belt pocket. "What about it?"

"We need to get it to Gaius." Arthur explains.

I frantically shake my head and whisper to him, "I know Uther, and the first thing he is going to do is get rid of it."

Arthur shakes his head. "I know my father too, and he wouldn't." He gestures for the flower again. Relunctantly, I gave it to him.

Arthur turns to Uther. "Gaius knows what to do with it." Uther takes the flower, and, just as I predicted, crushed it into his fist.

"NO!" Arthur yells.

"You two have to learn there's a right and a wrong way of doing things. I'll see you're both let out in a week. Then Elizabeth may get treatment, and you can find yourself another servant."

Uther drops the flower just outside ourcell door. The guards lock the door, and Arthur desperately reaches for the flower. I bend down. "Here, my arms are thinner." I reach over, and grab the flower. No all we have to do it wait for Gwen. Clock is ticking, Gwen...

_** Third Person's POV...**_

Gaius looks from Merlin to Gwen. "He hasn't got much longer. Has Arthur and Liz gotten the flower?"

Gwen shakes her head. "I don't know. Uther won't allow anyone to see them. Is there nothing we can do to help?"

"Only the leaf of the Mortaeus flower can save him." Gaius tells her.

"And we have to find out if Arthur and Liz have it." Gwen says pacing. "I could sneak into the dungeon." She suggests.

"That would be very dangerous." Gaius warns her.

"I've got to. Merlin will die if I don't." Gwen insists.

And as if on cue, Merlin begins struggling even more with his breathing.

The old physician looks from his patient to Gwen. "Be careful."

_**Liz's POV...**_

I hear footsteps, and Gwen's gentle voice. "Food for the prisoners."

The guard unlocks the door, and lets Gwen in. Arthur gives me a look that says, 'Let me handle this.' So I do. I know what his plan was anyway.

"Set it down over there." He tells her.

She puts it down on a small table and takes a step back. Arthur gets up and goes to the table. "Thank you." he tells her.

Just as Gwen turns to leave, Arthur calls out to her. "Wait a minute." He puts the plate back down and sits next to me again. "We couldn't possibly eat this, it's disgusting. The state it's in, I'm not sure it's fit for _anyone._" Arthur says the last part very pointedly.

Gwen goes back to pick up the plate and sends us a secret smile when she sees the flower on the plate. She takes it, and leaves.

We hear the commotion a few minutes later, and know the deed has been done. I sigh, and lean my head back on the wall. I lazily roll my head and smirk at Arthur. And the most magical thing?

He smirked right back.

_**Third person POV...**_

After Merlin heals from the antidote, Gaius goes to see Uther. Uther, who is preparing for the invasion from Mercia, goes off to the side to speak with his old friend. "I know who tried to poison Arthur." Gaius tells him.

"So do I. He's locked in my dungeons." Uther says, going back to his strategies.

Gaius stopped him. "It wasn't Bayard. The poison was magical. And I'd recognise the hand that made it anywhere: Nimueh."

Uther's face grows very grave. "You must be mistaken."

Gaius sadly shakes his head. "I wish I was."

"It can't have been. We'd know her. That witch's face is not easily forgotten." Uther tries to convince him.

"She's a powerful sorceress. She can enchant the eye that beholds her. We never knew it was her."

"Have you any proof?" Uther says, somewhat frantically.

"The poison used against Merlin was made more potent by the use of magic." Gaius explains.

"Are you saying that she conspired with Bayard to kill Arthur?" Uther asks.

Gaius shakes his head. "No, Bayard is innocent. Look at what's happening. This is what she's wanted all along. A war to bring strife and misery to Camelot."

Uther turns to his Knights. "How long before Bayard's armies reach our walls?"

"A day. Maybe less." Sir Cador answers. "We should send cavalry out to meet them."

Uther shakes his head. "Instruct your men not to leave Camelot until I give the word.'

Sir Cador bows. "Sire." The rest of the Knights follow suit, and they all leave.

"You are making the right decision, Sire." Gaius tells him. "Do you think Arthur should be told the truth about Nimueh?" Gaius asks. But that does nothing but leave the King puzzled.

_** Elizabeth's POV...**_

Gaius hands me a vial of something. "Drink up. It'll make you feel better."

"Thanks Gaius." I say, taking the lid off.

I've just raised it to my lips when Gaius says, "Be mindful of the-"

I taste a horrible tar flavour in my mouth. I cough to try and get it out. "Taste." Gaius finishes.

I wipe at the excess medicine that dribbled to the corner of my mouth. "Now you tell me!"

Evil Merlin just laughs at me. I nudge him. "I could have you thrown in the stocks for that."

"Hey, give me a break. I almost died today." Merlin points out.

"Fine. But only because you almost died today." I tease.

Someone knocks on the door, and Arthur enters. "Still alive, then?"

Merlin turns in his seat. "Oh. Yeah, just about. I understand I have you and Lizzie to thank for that."

"Yeah, well, it was nothing. A half decent servant is hard to come by. I was only dropping by to make sure you're alright. I expect you to be back to work tomorrow." Arthur tells him.

"Oh yeah, yeah of course, er, bright and early." Merlin stammers. I guess the poor boy thought because he nearly died, he would get a break. I nudge him. "Merlin? I might give you a break, but remember, Arthur never will." I get up from my chair, and start walking-well, limping to the door.

Arthur turns to leave too, but Merlin stops us. "Arthur. Lizzie. Thank you."

Arthur nods to him. "You too. Get some rest." With that, we both leave Gaius' chambers.

"So what are you going to do now?" Arthur asks as we walk back to the castle.

"Well, might talk with Morgana for a bit. I haven't talked to her in a while." I answer.

He chuckles. "It's barely been two days."

"Well, when you're as close to a person as Morgana and I are, sometimes two days can seem like a year."

He nods his head. "So you're saying, if I was gone for three days, you'd feel like it was a year?"

My mouth falls at his words. "I never said that!"

He laughs again. "But you implied it."

"How?" I ask astonishedly.

And for the rest of the walk back to the castle, we just joked. Like two normal people.

And God knows I need a little normalcy in my life.

**TBC...**

**Oh GOD that was long! Must have been the longest I've ever written! And all before 11:30 PM where I am...can I get a 'what what'?**

**Okay, I just embarrassed myself.**

**Aww, who loved the two little Liz and Arthur moments? I sure did! (That's cause I ship them though...)**

**Anyways, next up is Lancelot! SO SUPER PUMPED FOR LANCELOT. Lancelot may be in one whole chapter too. We'll see.**

**Liz's outfit on Polyvore! They'll be two: Her outfit for Bayard's speech, and her outfit for getting the flower for Merlin.**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	9. Lancelot part 1

**AN: Sup guys!**

**WOW! 38 reviews! Thanks so much! Can we get to 45?**

**EDIT: I wanted to change something of Lancelot part one, then I just decided to put it all into one chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN IS NOT MINE.**

**Enjoy!**

"I still don't understand why you wanted to come with me." Merlin says, as we continue to look for the mushrooms for Gaius.

I pick a couple from beside Merlin. "I told you, I was really bored, and I thought that it would helpful to you if I picked the mushrooms with you. Save you time."

I really was bored. I mean, there is only so much you can do in Camelot. I made sure to practice using a sword, because I might need to actually use one while I'm here. I don't want to just stand awkwardly in the center of a battle field scene fight.

Suddenly, Merlin and I heard a screech. We look up, and a Griffin is charging at us. Next thing I knew, Merlin was grabbing my hand and we were running away from the Griffin, abandoning the mushrooms. Man, they were going to taste so good...

Merlin trips, and accidently brings me down with him. Damn it Merlin! My head crashes to the ground. A headache instantly begins to form. But we don't have the time to wonder about headaches. We flip on our backs, and we back away as best we can from the best. I'm glad a Griffin isn't _actually _the symbol for Gryffindor...

The Griffin is about to strike, and a strong man ran in front of us, swiping at the Griffin with his sword. My heart soars when I realize that it's Lancelot. I don't even need to look at his face.

After realizing that it won't work, Lancelot drops his sword and runs to us. "Run! Run!" He yells, grabbing my hand, pulling me up. I still grip his hand tightly, afraid that if I let go, I'll slow down and the thing will eat me.

We keep running, and we're just about to jump over the log thing, when my superior skills cause me not to jump over all the way, tripping half way. Lancelot sees that I'm going to fall, and tries to grab me and keep me upright. Unfortunately, gravity isn't very fair, and we both end up falling, me hard on my back, and Lancelot right on top of me.

After all the running we've done, and we're trying to catch our breath, we both don't realize the position we're _actually _in. "I'm Elizabeth." I breathe out, with a small laugh.

He nods. "Lancelot." I guess he finally realizes how we were sitting, because he blushes a deep pink. He immeditely gets up off of me, and helps me sit upright. I blush really deeply too. I mean, he was sitting on top of me. That is a little awkward.

He leans against the wood log thing, and we all look up to the Griffin. "It's gone." Merlin confirms. He looks back to Lancelot. "You saved our lives." He sticks his hand out. "I'm Merlin."

Lancelot grabs it and shakes it. "Lancelot." Lancelot's face grows pale, and we both look back to him. His hand slips down, revealing a wound that is seeping with blood. Merlin and I look to each other worriedly, and we make a move to get Lancelot up.

"We must get him to Gaius." Merlin says, flopping Lancelot's arm across his shoulders.

I nod, and do the same thing. "Let's hope he'll be okay."

...

After Merlin and I get Lancelot back to Gaius (well, Merlin really. Hey, Lancelot is a very big man. And a very heavy one at that), we lay him on the bed, and Gaius quickly tends to his wounds.

"Will he be alright?" I ask Gaius worriedly.

Gaius nods. "The wound itself is superficial. The fever will pass. He should be fine in the morning."

I sigh, then nod. "Just as long as he'll be okay."

I looked down to Lancelot. I forgot how sweet he actually was. And how kind. And modest. And cute.

And stop it right there Malinor. Gwen already has dibs. Well, no harm in a little flirting, now is there?

...

I know Lancelot was supposed to wake up this morning, so I go to check on him. I actually brought him something that was supposed to make him feel better. It either did that, or I just got totally conned. I walk inside Gaius's chambers, and see Lancelot walking around perfectly fine.

"Well, someone looks much better." I comment.

Lancelot gasps then immeditely goes to bow, but I frantically stop him. Looks like Merlin spilled the beans about who I am. "Don't. Really. Don't. I really don't care for gestures like that. And I don't really like it when people I know call me My Lady. So it's just Elizabeth. Or Lizzie. Or Liz." I stammer. Did I mention I stammer in front of really cute guys?

But Lancelot just smiles and bows again. "Well, alright then, Lizzie." Gah, it's just so cute the way he says Lizzie!

I reach into my pocket, and pull out the braclet I bought for Lancelot. I walk closer to him. "This is for you." I hold it up to him. "It was supposed to make you feel better. Well, I guess you are, so, I should, just return it." I say, about to put it away.

"No, no." Lancelot says, taking it from my hand. "I don't feel all that well yet. Thank you for thinking of me like that, My Lady."

I blush and look down to my toes. "Well, you did save my life. It was the least I could do."

Lancelot and I stare at each other for a bit, before I change the subject. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turn to face Merlin again. "So, what are we talking about?"

"Lancelot wants to join the Knights of Camelot." Merlin says.

My face lights up. "Really? That's great! Is this something you just recently have wanted to do?"

Lancelot shakes his head though. "Ever since I was a child I've dreamed of coming here. It's my life's ambition to join the knights of Camelot." Okay, it was actually so sweet to look at Lancelot as he says this. It makes his life look so cute! "I know what you're thinking, I...I expect too much. After all, who am I? They have their pick of the best and bravest in the land."

"Lancelot." Merlin says slowly.

"Yes?" he asks.

I gently touch his arm. "They are going to love you."

"They are?" He asked, quite surprised for some odd reason.

Merlin nods. "We've seen you in action. You could shame the great Arthur himself."

Lancelot half heartedly chuckles. "I hardly think so."

"In fact, you know what I'm going to do?" Merlin stands up. "I'm going to talk to him right now."

"You know Arthur?" Lancelot exclaims.

Merlin pauses at the door, and nods. "Oh yes." Then he leaves, leaving me and Lancelot alone. Together.

Oh dear Lord.

"So." I begin. "I'm sure Merlin will try his best. He is a very good friend, and very loyal one. And I could try to convince Arthur too."

"You know Arthur as well?" He asks.

I nod. "Yup. Grew up with him. He is a very kind, fair man. A bit of a prat from time to time. But he has a very good heart." I say, thinking of Arthur and all the amazing things he does. Well, eventually does.

Lancelot looks at me pointedly. "You speak very highly of him."

I quickly clear my throat. "Well, he is the future King of Camelot. We have to believe in him, if he is to be successful."

He shakes his head. "That's not what I meant."

I was about to ask him what he did mean, when a servant comes inside. "My Lady? I was told you could be found here. It is time for your lessons."

Seriously? The only good thing about being here was that I didn't have school. Oh well. I give Lancelot a sorry smile. "Duty calls. I'll see you later Lancelot." I say with a wave.

...

I caught up with Merlin after he talked to Arthur. We ran to his chambers, and Merlin told Lancelot that Arthur wanted to meet him. Lancelot got really excited, but his face visibly fell when Gaius told him that only the noblemen could be Knights of Camelot. Which I personally found unfair. That's like saying a woman can't become a doctor. Wait, I forgot. Women didn't really have rights here.

Later, Merlin, Lancelot, and I were all in Merlin's room. Merlin starts lighting the candles, and asks Lancelot, "Why do you want to be a knight so much?"

Lancelot looks from the window to Merlin. "When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains. They were slaughtered where they stood, my father, my mother. Everyone." He says somberly. Is it possible that this was sadder than it was when I first watched it. "I alone escaped. I vowed that day that never again would I be helpless in the face of tyranny. I made sword craft my life. Every waking hour since that day, I devoted to the art of combat." He says passionately. I smile, but behind it was a lot of heartbreak. It was so sad to know that out of all the Knights of the Round Table, Lancelot was the one who wanted to be a Knight the most. But he was the one that was a Knight for the shortest period of time. I blink back the tears that started forming in my eyes.

"And when I was ready, I set forth for Camelot." He continued. "And now, it seems, my journey ends. Everything I fought for, wasted." He finished sadly.

Merlin stands up and walks to Lancelot. "I give you my word, whatever it takes, I will make this right." he says fiercely, and leaves.

Why was he always leaving me alone with Lancelot?

Awkward silence crept its way around us. "Merlin will think of something. He always does." I reassure Lancelot. "He is a very determined person, who never breaks his word."

Lancelot smiles and nods. "Thank you, Lizzie. But I don't think he will be able to keep his word this time."

I smile encouragingly, but damn, he was even making me depressed!

_**Third person POV...**_

After Merlin had used magic to copy a seal of nobilty (changing the writing on it to Lancelot's name, of course) he ran back to his chambers and gleefully went inside. He holds up the piece of parchment.

Lancelot looks up from peeling an apple. "What's that?" he asks.

Merlin smiles and replies. "This is your seal of nobility."

He goes back to peeling his apple. "I don't understand."

Merlin unrolls the scroll. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria." He says with a big grin on his face.

Lancelot immeditely starts shaking his head. "No, Merlin. No."

Merlin throws his hands to the side. "Oh, right. So you don't want to be a knight, then." Moving to leave.

"Of course I do!" Lancelot protests.

"Well...the rules don't allow it. Damn the rules! The rules are wrong!" Merlin says.

"But it's a lie. It's against everything the knights stand for." Lancelot argues.

"You have as much right to be a knight as any man. I know it." Merlin tries to convince him.

"But the rules, Merlin." Lancelot tries again.

"We're not breaking the rules. We're bending them, that's all." Merlin insists. "You get your foot in the door. But after that you will be judged on your merit alone. And if you succeed - if they make you a knight - it'll be because you earned it, noble or not. I can't change the way things are done around here, but you can...if you let me help you." Merlin finishes.

Lancelot tries one last time. "But the Lady Elizabeth. She'll know I'm not really a nobleman."

Merlin thinks about it, and shakes his head. "I know Lizzie. If I ask her not to, she won't tell. Besides, you did save her life too. She'll do anything for you."

Lancelot considers it, but the look on his face clearly shows Merlin that he has given in.

_** Lizzie's POV...**_

After Merlin managed to convince Lancelot to try out for the Knights, me and Merlin sit in Gwen's comfortable little home as she takes Lancelot's measurements. Watching them be so awkward reminded me of why I loved them so much. Well, until Arthur came along. But a small part of me always wanted Gwen to end up with Lancelot. But that little part also wanted Arthur for herself with an intense passion. Yeah, I don't really listen to that part of me.

Lancelot awkwardly clears his throat. "Thi...*ahem* This is very kind of you, er..."

Gwen smiles. "Gwen." She supplies.

Lancelot smiles back. "Gwen." He repeats.

"Short for Guinevere." She explains.

"Ah. Then thank you, Guinevere." Lancelot tells her.

Gwen chuckles. "Don't thank me. Thank Merlin and Lizzie. They would do anything for anyone, wouldn't you?" she says, looking back to us. We give them smiles.

"Sorry, can you raise your arms?" She asks, and Lancelot complies. "Thank you. Sorry." She wraps the tape around his chest, and they both blush. "I think it's great that Merlin's got you this chance. We need men like you." She says, reaching up to his neck.

"You do?" Lancelot asks surprised.

"Well, not me personally, but you know...Camelot." She stammered. "Camelot needs knights. Not just Arthur and his kind, but ordinary people like you and me."

"Well, I'm not a knight yet, My Lady." Lancelot clears up.

"And I'm not a lady." Gwen says giggling.

Merlin and I just exchange a knowing look. It was very clear that they both liked each other.

"Sorry, my..." Lancelot begins.

Gwen cuts him off, though. "Okay, we're done. Erm...I should have these ready in no time. It's nice to meet you Lancelot."

Gwen sticks her hand out to him to shake, but Lancelot takes it and kisses it, causing Gwen to blush a very deep red. Hey, he had the same effect on me. Then, Merlin and Lancelot leave. I stay behind, and after the door shuts, squeal. "Someone clearly has an admirer."

My teasing doesn't help her get rid of her blush. "Don't be silly, my Lady." Gwen says, starting to move around. I notice that she distinctly keeps her face away from mine. I laugh and shake my head. "Say what you will. But it's so obvious a blind man could see it." I say, using Merlin's words.

Gwen suddenly turns around, a shy smile on her face. "You really think so?"

I giggle and take her hands in mine. "I really do." I sigh and release her hands. "Now, we really need to work on how you act in front of men."

_** Third person POV...**_

Merlin and Lancelot walk along the Courtyard Corridor.

"She seems lovely. Guinevere." Lancelot begins.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, she is. And the best seamstress in Camelot, I promise." Merlin said.

"Are you two...you know?..." Lancelot gestures.

Merlin looks to his gestures, and laughs. "Oh no, we're just friends." He assures him.

"So it's Liz, then?" Lancelot asks.

Merlin laughs. "No, no! What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's just, the way she talks about you." He explains. "Like she believes you can do anything, and everything."

Merlin considers it for a second. "Re-really?" he asks.

Lancelot smiles and nods. "Really."

_** Lizzie's POV...**_

When it's time for Lancelot's try-out (that was really the only word I could think of), Gwen, Merlin and I all help Lancelot with his armour. Gwen insists that I don't do anything, but I dismiss it, telling her that I don't want to feel like I'm doing nothing. The whole time, Merlin kept giving me these odd looks. Hmm. Maybe I'll ask him about it later...

"One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four." Arthur chants, training his Knights.

"Well...you certainly look the part." Merlin says after we've finished.

"Doesn't he just?" Gwen asks, smiling proudly.

"I don't feel it." Lancelot says, loosening his collar a bit.

"Well, you do. So shut up." I tell him, and I get him to smile. Score!

"Okay, that'll do for today. Well done." Arthur says, dismissing everyone.

"Here's your chance. Go for it." Merlin says to Lancelot, pushing him towards Arthur, who was putting his sword in a sword rack.

"Yes?" Arthur asks.

"Lancelot, 5th son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria." Lancelot introduces himself.

"Lance...a lot?" Arthur says slowly. "My servant mentioned you. Got your seal?"

Lancelot bows as he presents the fake seal to Arthur. "Sire."

Arthur smacks him, causing Lancelot to fall down. I actually gasp out loud. "Sluggish reactions. In a battle field you'd be dead by now. Come back when you're ready."

Arthur begins to walk off. Lancelot gets up and places his hand on his sword. "I'm ready now, Sire." he says.

Arthur stops, and turns back around. "You are, are you? Fine. You can start by cleaning out the stables."

Everybody around us starts to laugh. Lancelot looks uncertainly at Merlin who gives him two thumbs up. I slap my hand on my forehead.

...

Merlin and I sit in his chambers later on. Gaius begins to talk. "I'm sorry about Lancelot. I see you two were upset."

"Oh. You know...that's life." Merlin says.

"You win some, you lose some." I add, stealing his line.

"You two are taking it very well, I have to say. Very mature." Gaius states.

"Thank you, Gaius." Merlin says proudly, and I try my best not to roll my eyes. Then, Lancelot enters, all covered in dirt. "How'd it go?" I ask.

Lancelot stops and shrugs. "Ugh." I laugh at the expression on his face.

Lancelot goes to Merlin's chambers. Gaius gives Merlin and me a look. "He found work at the stables." Merlin says plainly.

Gaius nods. "I see." he says in a clearly disbelieving voice. "And the truth before I lose my temper?"

"He's er...trying out for the knights." He explains.

Gaius looks furious. "The First Code of Camelot has never been broken for any man. What've you done, Merlin? Lizzie?"

"Okay, so he bent the rules a little. So what?" I say.

Merlin nods with me. "And the rules are wrong. They're unfair."

"You bent the rules? Using magic?" Gaius asks, kinda angrily.

"It was nothing, honestly. It was more of a trick than actual magic." Merlin says, trying to save his skin.

"Your magic is not a toy, Merlin. It's not for you to use or abuse as you see fit."

Merlin hangs his head. "I know. I know."

"Then why'd you do it?" Gaius asks.

"We owe Lancelot our lives. We're just trying to pay for that debt the only way we can by giving him the opportunity he deserves. If you want to punish me for it, go ahead." Merlin says, leaving to his chambers.

When he's gone, I turn to Gaius. "He might not be the smartest sorcerer, but at least he's got his priorities straight." I say, thinking of how Morgana turns out in season 3.

Gaius nods. "I know."

I shrug. "Then I guess that's all we could really ask for."

...

I was talking with Morgana the next day, when we heard a commotion going on outside. We run to the window, and see a bunch of people in the Square. I look to Morgana. "Something's wrong." I run outside, where it was even more crowded than it actually looked. It took a while, but I finally found Merlin, who was with Gaius.

I reach them at the same time Lancelot does. "What happened to these people?"

"Their village was attacked by a winged monster." Gaius explained.

Merlin, Lancelot and I all exchange a look. We all knew what that winged creature was. And what it was capable of.

_** Third person POV...**_

" The wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. The wings of an eagle and the body of a lion." Gaius mutters while flipping through a book. But it was no ordinary book. It was a book of monsters. After Gaius found the image, he was fairly certain what the creature must be.

_** Lizzie's POV...**_

Lancelot's challenge was pushed to the morning, as Camelot really needed all the help they could get. Gwen, Merlin and I all stood off to the side, waiting for Lancelot to begin. Gwen looked especially worried, so I grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. That helped her, but not by much.

"Well, here we are. Your final challenge. Succeed and you join the elite. Fail and your journey ends here." No pressure there, Arthur. "Lancelot, fifth son of Lord Eldred of Northumbria...". Arthur nods to the timekeeper. "Your time starts now."

Arthur and Lancelot put on their helmets, and they begin to fight. Sounds of metal hitting against metal echoed throughout the courtyard. Lancelot swings and misses Arthur. Gwen grabs Merlin's shirt in her anxiety.

"Oh, sorry." She blushes, releasing it. I grab her hand so that she has something stable, and she squeezes it tight.

Arthur punches Lancelo, and he falls back, his helmet falling off of his head. Arthur puts his sword into the ground, removes his helmet, and goes to remove Lancelot's flag.

"Shame." He says, leaning down, only for Lancelot to spring up and knock Arthur off of his feet. He grabs his sword and puts the tip to his chest.

"Do you submit, Sire?" He asks.

The Guards come and restrain Lancelot. Arthur gets up, apparently angry, and grabs his sword. But I know better. So it's really hard to look worried when I'm actually so incredibly happy for Lancelot.

"On your knees!" Arthur barks.

The Guards force Lancelot to his knees, and Arthur puts the sword to Lancelot's chest...

...

Lancelot kneels infront of Uther, and sword to his chest. Uther moves the sword from shoulder to shoulder. "Arise, Sir Lancelot, Knight of Camelot."

The whole court bursts into applause. I look over to Merlin, who is probably grinning the widest. Morgana leans over to me. "Who is this man? He seems to have come out of nowhere."

"I know. It's been a bit of a surprise." I look over and give Gwen a pointed look. "To all of us." My look served it's purpose, because Gwen blushed. Oh, I really am a terrible person, aren't I?

Uther takes Lancelot away to talk to him, and I hope that he doesn't say anything to suspect him. But by the way Uther is talking to one of the women, it looks like Uther is not one to be easily decieved, which really sucks. We might have to work a bit harder.

...

At Lancelot's celebration feast, music plays and everybody mingles. I stick with Morgana, like I usually do. I look over to Merlin, who is talking with Gaius. Then I look to Lancelot, who is easily talking with Arthur. I guess about important Knight stuff or something.

I keep myself busy by eating, which was what I usually did during parties back home. I was never the socialable type, but I guess with my role here I'll have to be. Morgana nudges me, and discreetly looks over in Arthur and Lancelot's direction. I carefully look over to them, who are both looking in different directions. I guess this is the scene where Arthur talks about Morgana, and Lancelot talks about Gwen. But this is the strange thing. Lancelot _was_ looking at Gwen, but Arthur was looking at _me_. He couldn't possibly be talking about me, could he?

_** Third person POV...**_

Arthur watches Elizabeth, Morgana, and Gwen walk in while he and Lancelot sit on a table. "Here's trouble." He says, looking directly at Lizzie, sipping from his goblet. "Tell me, do you think her...beautiful?"

Arthur continues to watch Lizzie, while Lancelot's eyes follow Gwen as she moves to stand next to Merlin. "Yes, Sire. I do."

With Arthur looking one way and Lancelot the other, Arthur says, "Yeah. I suppose she is."

Morgana nudges Liz, who discreetly looks over to Arthur and Lancelot, noticing Arthur's gaze. But, since both men sat side by side, Arthur didn't know if she was looking at him, or Sir Lancelot. And he also didn't know who her sweet-as-sugar smile was directed to, either.

_**Lizzie's POV...**_

Arthur pounds on the table he and Lancelot are sitting on, and we all cease talking, turning our attention to him. He stands up. "Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a toast to our new recruit," He grabs Lancelot and stands him up. "Our new knight of Camelot, Sir Lancelot." Arthur raises his cup and everybody applauds. Lancelot and Arthur toast, Lancelot looking happy as he could have possibly been. Let's just hope his smile stays that way...

_** Third person POV...**_

Merlin and Lancelot stagger out of Merlin's room, both clearly suffering from hangovers.

"Argh. Two yards of ale? Two miles, more like it." Lancelot complains, putting his hand to his head.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Gaius says, holding two fizzing drinks out to the men. "Don't look at it, don't smell it, just down it in one."

They both look at each other, but do so. "Argh." Lancelot groans at the foul taste in his mouth.

"Better? Good. Can't have you nodding off first day on the job, Lancelot." Gaius points out.

"That's Sir Lancelot, if you don't mind." Merlin teases, and they all laugh. Suddenly, some Guards rush in.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asks in disbelief.

"King's orders." One of them explains.

The guards grab Lancelot and roughly drag him out. But in all fairness, Lancelot didn't really put up a fight.

"Stop!" Merlin said. He and Gaius looked to each other worriedly, both fearing the worst for their new friend.

**TBC...**

**And that is the new and improved Lancelot part 1! Hoped you all liked it!**

**Liz's outfit will stay the same for this chapter as it was for the original, but her Celebration outfit will be on Polyvore! Check it out!**

**Let's try for 45 reviews guys! I stay up till 11 PM where I am for you guys, despite having school the next morning.**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	10. Lancelot part 2

**Hey guys!**

**I am so happy you guys liked the new Lancelot chapter. Time for part 2!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE.**

**Enjoy!**

I run to find Merlin (I do more running here than I have ever done in PE class). Morgana just told me that Lancelot was already in the dungeons. I wanted to find Merlin before he went to see Lancelot. I turned the corner, and pumped into someone, causing us to go crashing to the ground. Whoever was it landed right ontop of me. The breath literally knocked out of me, I looked up, but it was just Merlin. I sighed, "Merlin. I was looking for you."

He nods. "I was looking for you. Lancelot is in the dungeons."

"Morgana told me." I say. I look at the position we were actually in, I cleared my throat, and Merlin got right off of me, blushing very hard. He grabbed my hands and helped me up. "Right, sorry."

I shake my head, even though I was blushing too. "No problem. Come on, let's go see Lancelot."

Merlin and I walk to the dungeons. We get to Lancelot's cell, and Merlin speaks up. "We don't know what to say to you, Lancelot.

Lancelot shakes his head 're not to blame."

"Yes, we are." I insist. "We pushed you. We made you lie."

"The choice was mine. My punishment is mine to bear, and mine to bear alone." Lancelot says firmly. Gah, why was he so noble?

"I wish there was something we could do." Merlin says.

"There is. You can stop blaming yourselves." Lancelot tells us.

I just give him a sad smile. A guard tugs on my arm, signaling my leave. I sigh, then go.

...

"A shame about Lancelot, isn't it?" Morgana asks as we have a cup of tea later that day. "He would have made a very handsome Knight."

"Would have made a very noble Knight too." I say absentmindedly.

Morgana takes my hand in hers. "I know Lancelot is your friend, Lizzie. But, what Uther says goes, unfortunately. If Arthur was in charge, you know things would be different."

Things would have been a lot better if you weren't trying to take the crown from him every ten minutes. "He saved my life, Morgana. I wanted this one thing for him, and I couldn't even get it. Do you know how much that hurts?" I ask. "If Lancelot is my friend, then I am a pretty lousy friend."

Morgana takes both my hands and looks me fiercely in the eyes. "Elizabeth. You are not a lousy friend. You are a very good friend. You tried your best. You didn't even tell Uther Lancelot was not a nobleman, even though you knew the truth." She brings her hand to my cheek. "Please, stop blaming yourself."

I shake my head. "And because of me Lancelot is in jail. What do I do Morgana?"

She goes to say something, but words clearly fail her. "I don't know."

I nod. "I thought so."

...

Then next day, I was going for a walk in the Square when my peaceful day was cut short of being peaceful. I didn't notice the winged beast behind me until I heard it. Well, the sounds of screaming people and the warning bell really pointed it out too. It was just behind me, its talons ready to strike. I scream, my last scream before my possible death, when I was roughly pushed to the ground. My head ached (too many head injuries here), and I scratched my cheek, but at least I wasn't dead. I look up to see Arthur on top of me. Man, how many hot guys are going to fall on me here?

"Are you alright?" He asks worriedly.

"Much better if I could breathe." I rasped. He quickly gets off of me, and helps me up. He has one of the Knights escort me back safely inside the Castle, and rushed back outside to defend Camelot from the creature. Then I was running. I had to find Merlin. At least then I could use my knowledge to help. I turn on my heel when I remembered someone should debrief Lancelot on what was going on. Then I ran to the dungeons. Man, I do too much running here.

I went over to Lancelot's cell, where he ran up to grab the bars. I grabbed the bars too. "Lancelot."

"My La-Lizzie, what is going on?" He asked.

"The creature has made its way into Camelot. Arthur and the Knights are trying to defend us but it simply isn't working." I look over to the guards, and do something that is probably really stupid. "Release Lancelot."

Lancelot looks at me in disbelief. "What?"

"I'm sorry, my Lady, I can't." The Guard tells me.

"Lizzie, don't stick your neck out for me." Lancelot insists.

"You heard me. You are under my orders." I command, ignoring Lancelot's protests. Man, I loved being in authority.

"I'm sorry, my Lady." He says sternly. "I am under the King's orders not to release the prisoner."

I groan, and turn back to Lancelot. "I'm sorry Lancelot. You don't deserve being back here."

He smiles and shakes his head. "I lied. To the King. I do deserve to be here. You, however, do not. Please, Lizzie. Go find Merlin, and help him."

I slowly nod. "Okay. You won't be in here for much longer, Lancelot. I promise."

I make sure to give the guard a hard glare, then leave to find Merlin. Uther, Arthur, and their entourage are going to the throne room, so I catch up with them. I walk beside Merlin, and poke him in the side. "Merlin, what's going on?"

He turns to tell me, when his face drops. "Liz, what happened to your cheek?" He asks, bringing his hand to my face. He gently runs it down my cheek, in almost a caressing gesture. Heart pumping madky, I look at him confused, and he brings his hand back, his fingertips laced with blood.

"Oh." I say, bringing my own hand to my cheek. I take my hand back, and see blood. I rub it away, hoping that I didn't just make a mess of my face. "I fell, but I'm fine."

We all enter the throne room. "You said your knights were the best in the land. You proved that today." Uther said sarcastically.

"All I know is it's still out there." Arthur says.

"Let's not wait for it. The kingdom has been menaced by this creature for too

long. We finish this now." Uther commands.

"Sire, if I may." Gaius interrupts.

Uther nods to him. "Gaius?"

Gaius and Merlin walk forward. "I've been researching this creature, Sire. I believe it to be a griffin."

"A griffin? What's in a name?" Uther asks.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, I add in my head. I can't help it. I loved Shakespere.

"The griffin is a creature of magic." Gaius informs him.

Uther shakes his head in dismissal. "I don't have time for this, physician."

"It is born of magic, Sire, and it can only be killed by magic." Gaius insists.

"You are mistaken. It's a creature of flesh and blood like any other." Uther protests. He turns his head to Arthur in acknowledgement. "Arthur proved that today."

Arthur shakes his head. "I'm not so sure, Father. I think there may be some truth in what he says."

"What truth?" Uther questions.

"The griffin was unharmed, Sire. Our weapons seemed useless against it." Arthur explained to him.

Uther scoffs. "Useless? I think not. No, it's tasted our steel once, the next time will be its last. When will your knights be ready to ride again?"

"An hour. Maybe two." Arthur estimates.

"Good. We finish this tonight." Uther says, dismissing the court.

This may be my last chance to help Lancelot. "Sire?"

He turns his head to me. "Yes, Elizabeth?"

I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing. I'm about to speak when Uther interrupts me. "What has happened to your face?"

I lifted my hand back to my cut and just shook my head. "Nothing, Sire, I'm fine. As I was saying, while I know our Knights are trying as hard as they can, we need more help or we don't stand a chance. I know you aren't going to be open to ask neighbouring Kingdoms for help, but there is a man down in the cells, who has the skills in fighting, and wants nothing more than to help Camelot."

Uther is already shaking his head before I'm done. "Absolutely not."

"Sire, I know that Lancelot lied and lying is wrong, but-"

"Enough!" He practically shouts. "This man has decieved Camelot, I will not have him fighting."

"If this is about your pride..." I try.

"It is about the Knight's Code, which Lancelot has violated."

"...Camelot matters more than it." I say, completely ignoring what he said.

He looked at me and gave me a menancing glare. "Hold your tongue, child."

I want to keep talking, but I also don't want to end up in the dungeons where I won't be able to do anything. I just gave Uther a glare, and stalked out of the room. I hate that he can boss me around! I thought I got the freedom to do so when I left home for University!

...

I run into Gaius chambers as he's explaining the griffin to Merlin. "It's true, isn't it? That he griffin can only be killed by magic?

"Yes, Liz, I'm certain of it. If Arthur rides out against it, he'll die." He turns to a table, and grabs a cloth. "Here. Clean up your face." I graciously take it and gently rub the scratchy material against my cheek. I like the towels back in the castle way better.

"Then he must be stopped. Uther must see reason." Merlin insists.

"Where magic is concerned, our King is blind to reason." Gaius points out. "And yet...magic is our only hope." He admits.

"You're not suggesting..." Merlin asks, disbelieving.

"It is your destiny, Merlin. The true purpose of your magic." Gaius says wisely.

"You saw it, Gaius. I can't go up against that thing." Merlin says.

"But if you do not, then Arthur will surely perish." Gaius points out.

"No...this is madness. I don't have magic that powerful. There must be another way." Merlin tries to insist.

"This is the only way." Gaius says.

"Do you even care what happens to me? Oh, just do this, Merlin. Do that, Merlin. Go and kill the griffin, Merlin. I'll just sit here and warm my feet by the fire." He rants.

"Merlin!' Gaius says sternly. "Merlin, you are the only thing I care about in all this world. I would give my life for you without a thought. But for what? I cannot save Arthur. It is not my destiny. You know."

I have never felt more uncomfortable in my life. I decided to pipe up. "If it was a matter of life or death, Merlin, I would give my life for you too." I say truthfully. Merlin really was an amazing person, and the world needed him more than it needed someone like me.

He looks at me in disbelief. "Why would you do that for someone like me?"

I shake my head. "Social standings don't matter to me. Don't you see how I insist not to be called 'my Lady'? And I'm your friend, Merlin. I would do that for Arthur, I'd do it for Morgana"-for now, at least-"And I'd do it for you. Don't think for one second that I wouldn't."

He hangs his head down. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what else I can say." Gaius says.

"I'll say it for you. We have two hours to find a way to kill that thing." Merlin confirms, and we start looking through books. Gaius finds the spell, and points to it. "There. You must do this for Arthur."

Merlin shakes his head. "I've never cast a spell of enchantment this powerful."

"Nothing less will kill it." I get up, grab a rusty dagger, and hand it to Merlin. "Here. Try. You have it within you. I know you do." I say, nodding my head.

Merlin holds the dagger out in front of him, and says the incantation. "Bregdan anweald gafeluec."

Nothing happens, and Merlin, Gaius and I share a look. "Don't worry, Merlin, we have plenty of time." Gaius insists.

Merlin keeps trying to do the spell, but keeps failing, and keeps getting discouraged.

"Don't worry, Merlin. We know you're trying." Gaius assures him.

"And I'm failing. And if Arthur dies because I'm not good enough..." Merlin says.

I interrupt him. "Merlin, you won't!"

And that is Gwen's cue to run in. "Merlin! Lancelot's riding out to kill the griffin!"

"He's what?" Merlin asks in disbelief. Gwen shrugs, words failing her, and Merlin runs out. I ran after him. He stops. "You're not coming."

Can people stop telling me where to go? "I am coming. Lancelot saved my life too and I owe it to him. Besides, the people of Camelot are my people, and I would do anything to help them." And I really would. Even though I haven't been here long, I loved these people like they were my family, and I would do anything for them.

Merlin looks like he's going to argue, but stops himself. "Alright, come on."

Merlin and I run to Lancelot as Lancelot saddles his horse. "We're coming with you." Merlin tells him.

"No, you're not." Lancelot says.

"Just try and stop us." Merlin tell him.

"Merlin, you're not a soldier. And Lizzie, I can't let you get hurt. Your family would never forgive me."

"You said it yourself, Lancelot, Arthur needs all the help he can get. Now let's go." Merlin says.

"And as for me," I say. "You're not going to stop me. It's a good thing Uther doesn't know, then. Right?"

We all get ready, and ride to where the griffin was. From where we were riding, we could hear sword clanging, hissing from the griffin, and worst of all, the sound of dying men. THAT would haunt me in my nightmares.

We get to where all the fallen Knights are, and I immeditely go looking for Arthur. "Arthur?" I call, looking around for him. "Arthur?" I called worriedly again. I found him on the ground, unconscious. I check his pulse, and sigh in relief that it was beating. Even though I knew he was alright, I was still worried sick that he was dead. "He's alive." I call over to Merlin.

We all hear the griffin hiss, and Lancelot rides into attack position with a lance, shutting his visor.

Merlin looks over to me. I nod at him, and he turns back to Lancelot's lance. "Okay, Merlin, it's now or never." I hear him say.

Lancelot rears his horse, and Merlin says his spell. "Bregdan anweald gafeluec."

Nothing happens. Lancelot charges, and Merlin says the spell again, this time more sternly. "Bregdan anweald gafeluec."

Nothing happens as Lancelot passes Merlin. I get up, and run to Merlin's side. I grab his hand, and squeeze it for support. "You can do this Merlin. You can."

This time, the griffin charges. He looks to me, then back to the lance. "Bregdan anweald gafeluec!" he says, putting all his feel into his voice.

The lance flames blue, and Lancelot strikes the griffin, killing it. As it dies, the magic glow disappears.

Merlin and I look to each other happily. "Yes!" We both scream, and we leap into an embrace. I squeeze him tight, and he buries his face into my hair. We pull away when we hear Arthur waking up. We look to each other, panicking, when I finally just grab Merlin's hand and run. We managed to kill the griffin. Now all we have to do is hope that real Arthur is a better convincer than show Arthur.

Merlin and I run back to his chambers. We pause, and Gaius waits expectantly. Merlin and I grin hugely. "I did it." Merlin said.

Gaius and Merlin hug, and Gaius says, "Thank God!"

Gaius and Merlin pull away, and Merlin looks to me. "Lancelot." He says.

I nod. "We should go find out what happened to him."

...

Merlin and I round the corner to the throne room, where Lancelot was waiting outside. "What are they doing?" Merln asks.

"Deciding my fate." Lancelot answers.

"They'll restore your knighthood, they have to." I say, somehow thinking that I was very sure of myself.

Merlin nods in agreement with me. "You killed the griffin."

"But I didn't kill the griffin." Lancelot says, as I knew he would. He gestures for me and Merlin to follow him, and we do. He looks to Merlin. "You did."

Merlin scoffs unbelievabley. "That's ridiculous"

Lancelot just smiles and says, "'Bregdan anweald...'" he trails off. "I heard you. I saw you." He looks to me. "And judging by the look on Lizzie's face when she was standing next to you, she already knew."

Merlin gets a worried look on his face, but Lancelot reassures him. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. But I cannot take the credit for what I did not do. There'll be no more lies, no more deceit."

"What are you going to do?" I ask, even though I already knew the answer.

Lancelot says. "The only thing I can do." And he bursts through the doors.

"What is this?" Uther asks. The guards restrain Lancelot, but Lancelot says, "Let me speak."

"Wait! I'll hear him." Uther says.

The guards release Lancelot, and he speaks. "Forgive me, Sire. I've come to bid you farewell."

"What is this, Lancelot?" Arthur asks confused.

"I lied to you both and now there is conflict between you. I cannot bear that burden, as you should not bear mine." Lancelot explains. "I must start again, far from here. Then maybe one day fate shall grant me another chance to prove myself a worthy knight of Camelot."

"But...Lancelot, you've...already proved that to us." Arthur tells him.

Lancelot nods. "But I must prove it to myself." He explains. He bows to Uther. "Your Highness." Then he bows to Arthur. "Prince Arthur."

He backs out of the room, gives Merlin and I a small smile, and leaves.

...

Later that night, I went looking for Lancelot. I did find him, getting his stuff ready for leaving in the morning. I stepped in, and smiled. "Lancelot."

He smiles at me. "Lizzie."

I walk farther in. "Do you really have to leave? I know a few people who wouldn't be happy if you left."

He nods. "I know, but you must know, I need to do this for myself."

I nod too. "I understand that Lancelot. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." I went over and gave him a hug, which he gratefully returns.

"I'm going to miss you Lancelot. A lot." I say, pulling away.

"I will miss you too, My Lady." He tells me. I give him a look.

"What did I say about the 'My Lady' thing?" I tease.

He smiles again. "I know."

"Goodbye, Sir Lancelot." I say, moving towards the door. My hand is on the handle when his voice calls out. "Promise me one thing, Lizzie."

My face goes confused, but I nod anyway. "Of course."

"Pay more attention to Merlin. He has a little trouble expressing himself sometimes."

What? What is he?...OH NO HE DID NOT.

I wanted to say something, but I have a feeling I would have felt more awkward than I already do. "I don't know what you mean, but I will. I promise." And with that awkward note, I left for bed.

Morgana's chambers Edit

...

The next morning after Gwen helps me get ready, I see her staring out the window, looking after who I can only presume is Lancelot.

"Gwen?" I say, trying to get her attention, going over to the window where she was. "Guinevere?" I say, using her full name to try and get her attention. She finally looks over to me. "Lancelot?" I guess.

"Oh." Gwen looks like she was just going to protest, but gives up. "Yes."

I look at her, feeling pity for me. "Come, Gwen. We've a busy day ahead."

"Yes, My Lady." She says, moving away from the window. I grab her arm. "Gwen?"

"Yes?" She says.

I rub her arm. "Everything will be alright."

She just smiles at me, and moves to grab my laundry. I sigh. She is just so hopeless when it comes to guys.

...

I didn't get to see Merlin all day that day. Arthur kept him busy, and Morgana kept me busy. So when I finally got the chance to speak to him about Lancelot, it was pretty late at night. I went over to his chambers, greeted Gaius, and walked into Merlin's room, who looked a little upset, laying down on his bed. "_Some_body doesn't look happy." I tease, which doesn't even get a smile from him. I sigh. "Okay. Move over."

He looks at me confused. "What do you mean?"

I went next to his bed and gestured for him to move over. "Come on. Make room." Although he looks confused, he still does, and I lay down next to him, my back facing him.

"What exactly are you doing?" He asks.

I roll over. "Copying you." I finally change the subject to Lancelot. "I take it you're sad because of Lancelot."

He nods. "Do you think he'll come back?"

"Oh, yeah." I say, not even hestitating. "In fact." I sit up straighter, and put my head in my hand. "I predict that Lancelot's time in Camelot has just begun."

Merlin laughs at me. "Oh, so you're psychic now?"

He has no idea how right he may be. "Would you believe me if I said yes?" I tested.

He tries not to laugh, but fails. "Probably not."

I lay on my back. "Was worth a shot." I said, laughing along with him.

And for the rest of the night, Merlin and I just laid there and talked. And talked. And talked until we eventually fell asleep. I just hope I don't have any nightmares tonight. I wouldn't want to freak poor Merlin out...

**TBC...**

**And it is done! Oh, who else loved the Merlin and Liz moment at the end? I know I sure did!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	11. A Remedy to Cure All Ills

**AN: I am so very sorry that I was gone so long. See, my favourite Aunt moved to Alberta, and I don't know. I guess I just got sad.**

**That, and I hate this episode with an intense passion. It was just, SO boring to me.**

**Either way, here's a Remedy to Cure All Ills!**

**DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

Normally I never get so worried that I get sick. But I often mistake stress for worry after all. But in this particular situation, I'm not stressed. I'm worried as hell.

It's been almost two days since Morgana clocked out of the world. She's still breathing, but that bug that crawled into her head is still inside her, and soon enough she'll be gone.

Since she fell ill, I haven't left her side. Strange, I know. But, I actually really love and care for Morgana a lot. I can't hate the person she is right now because of what she does in the future. So I'm soaking that up as much as I can.

So of course I was there when Gaius and Uther were checking up on her. "You don't know what's wrong with her." Uther stated.

"It's an inflammation of the brain." Gaius diagnosed.

"What could cause such a thing?" Uther asked.

"An infection, possibly." Gaius guessed. "Rest assured I will do everything in my power to cure her Sire."

"Will it be enough?" I speak up, my voice all creeky. Yeah, I haven't been able to sleep. What with Morgana, and my nightmares, I just can't handle it all. Uther and Gaius' heads turn to me.

"Will what be enough?" Gaius asks me.

I grip Morgana's hand harder. "Will everything in your power be enough?" I ask, tears threatening to fall over and a lump forming in my throat.

Gaius puts a hand on my shoulder. "I don't know Liz. But I will try."

Then they both leave the room. A few minutes after, Gwen steps in. "Gaius said she wasn't any better."

I shake my head. "She isn't."

Gwen rubs one of my shoulders. "You should get some sleep Liz. It's been nearly two days since you last slept."

"I will go to sleep when she wakes up." I say firmly.

"How about a little nap? You won't be of much use unless you have an agile mind." Gwen points out.

I nod, my vision blurring as soon as I do it. "I suppose you're right." I say, and carefully stand up. As soon as I do, I nearly topple over, but Guinevere catches me. "Thank you, Gwen."

"No problem, my Lady." She puts my arm around her shoulders, and leads me outside so I can go to my bed chambers.

As soon as I step outside, I bump into somebody. My mind is so disoriented that I can't make out the figure. It looks like a girl though. "Sorry ma'am..." I mumble.

The person chuckles. "Last time I checked, I was the Prince, not the Princess."

I groan. "Sorry, Arthur. I'm just really tired. I haven't slept in a few days."

Arthur's voice drops from jokingness to concern in two seconds. "Then go to bed. You should be resting."

I nod. "Where did you think I was going, Captain Obvious?" I say sarcastically. I turn to Gwen. "Take me to my chambers, please."

Gwen nods, and takes me to my room. She helps me into the bed. "Be sure to wake me up in four hours." Four hours should be enough.

I hear Gwen reassuring that she will before I finally succumb to my body and fall into a deep sleep.

...

When I woke up, there was daylight streaming out the window. When I fell asleep, it was getting close to the evening. I get myself out of bed make my way to the window, where I check the clock. The clock said that it was close to noon.

I hear my door open, and Gwen walks in. "I see you're up."

"Guinevere, I told you to let me sleep only four hours. Why did you let me sleep more?" I snap.

She looks hurt. "I'm sorry, my Lady. When I went to wake you up, Arthur found me and told me to let you wake up on your own."

I groan and collapse into a chair. "He would." I rub my temples, stand up again, and walk over to Gwen. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm just worried for Morgana, as we all are."

Gwen nods, accepting my apology, and I pull her into a hug. She helps me change, and I leave my room. As I do, I run into Arthur, who has a determined look on his face.

He keeps walking, so I have to walk double time to catch up with his long strides. "Good morning, Mr. I'm On a Mission. Why did you tell Guinevere to let me sleep more?"

"Because when I ran into you before you looked like Morgana does." Arthur says simply.

"Well, where are you going?" I ask.

"There is a man named Edwin who said that he can cure Morgana. That his remedy can cure all ills."

"And you're going to believe him?" I ask, surprised.

"What other choice do we have? It can't hurt to try." Arthur says fiercely.

I nod. "Right. You, go find Edwin, I'm going to go and stay with Morgana."

Arthur nods, and as we come to two hallways, I go in one direction, him in the other.

Maybe a half hour later, Edwin walks in, Gaius, Merlin, and Uther behind him.

I sit up straighter. "You're Edwin? The one who can cure Morgana?" I know that he's actually the one who caused it, but I can't exactly accuse him without evidence. I've learned that all too well from this show.

He nods, then explains to everyone that he needs to be alone in order to work. I was reluctant to leave Morgana, but after some prompting from Merlin I complied.

A couple minutes later, Edwin came out, having 'cured Morgana'. Really, he only took the bug out of her ear. After a couple minutes of initial confusion from Gaius and Uther angry with Gaius for having missed something that seemed so easy to spot, Edwin let us back in to see Morgana, who was awake, sitting up in her bed.

Uther instantly went to embrace her, and then made room for me to do the same. I clutched at Morgana's back the same way she clutched at mine. "I thought I lost you." I whispered. I couldn't bear to lose my best friend here. Any of my friends here. I would be totally lost without them.

I pull back and sit on the bed next to her, taking her hand as she spoke. "Oh, you won't get rid of me that easily." She said, which prompted us to laugh together.

Gaius moved forward. "What exactly did he give you?"

"I have no idea, but thank heaven he did." She said, gripping my hand tighter.

Everybody left the room shortly afterward, and Gwen entered the room. "My Lady, thank God you are alright." She said, immediately going for a hug.

"Thank you for being so concerned, Guinevere." Morgana said.

"Well, I think, besides Uther, Lizzie was the one the most concerned. While you were out, she wouldn't sleep, she wouldn't eat. She was sick with worry."

Morgana looked from Gwen to me. "Is that true?"

I shrug. "Maybe...a little..."

Morgana instantly has me in a hug. "I am touched that you care so much for me, but don't put yourself in danger like that."

I nod against her back, and pull away. "Alright. Next time you're knocking on death's door, I won't care at all."

She playfull swats my arm. "You know that's not what I mean."

I laugh. Oh, how I have missed this these past two days!

...

The next day, Uther, Arthur, Morgana and I all sat in the throne room listening to Edwin's findings. "I've been through the court medical records with a fine tooth comb Sire." He tells Uther.

"And were your findings satisfactory?" He asks.

He puts on a fake look of remorse. "With regret, I would have to say they were not."

Uther leans forward in his throne. "How so?"

"Gaius is a great man. Thorough, dedicated..."

"But?" Uther says, urging him to continue.

He fake sighs. "His methods are outdated. He has failed to keep up with the latest developments. This has led to many errors."

"Gaius has served me well for 25 years." Uther explains.

"And one cannot blame him for the infirmity those years have brought." Edwin says. "Age can be a terrible curse."

"Perhaps it is time to lighten his burdens." Uther voices outloud. "Have you given any more thought on my offer?" That was probably the offer for Edwin to stay in Camelot. I don't really rewatch this episode since it was really boring. _Once_ was too much for me.

"Yes. I have thought about it very carefully." Edwin says.

Uther nods. "Allow me some time to do the same."

Edwin bows, then leaves the throne room. Uther gets up from his seat, and Morgana shares a concerned look with me before standing up to go after him.

"Uther, you can't do this." She says. I decide that she's probably going to need backup, so like the loyal friend I am, I go after them.

"You heard what he said. Gaius is old, he makes mistakes." Uther says dismissingly.

"Gaius has treated us since before we can remember." I protest.

Morgana nods, agreeing with me. "You can't cast him out."

"You would've died if your care had been left to him. That is something I cannot bear."

"I know that, but..." Morgana begins, but Uther cuts her off.

"I cannot risk something like this happening again." Uther says, then leaves with his goblet.

We both look after him, and then Morgana turns to me. "What are we to do?" I ask.

She shakes her head and hooks her arm through mine. "I don't know, Lizzie. I just don't know."

...

I sit with Merlin on the steps of the castle later that day. "I'm sorry." I say, being the first of us to speak. "I'm sorry about Gaius. It hurts me as much as it does you to see him go. If it were up to me, Gaius would be staying and Edwin would be hitting the road."

Merlin cracks a smile, but gets rid of it quickly. "What am I to do Lizzie? There is so much I have yet to learn, so much that he has yet to teach me."

I pat him on the back. "So what's the plan?"

He looks at me strangely. "What?"

"It's _you_, Merlin. You always have a plan. What do we do?"

"Well, I could try talking with Arthur." He suggests.

"I could do that too, and there's more of a chance that he'd listen to me. But it's Arthur, he's always hesitant to go against Uther."

Merlin shrugs. "There's no harm in trying." He says, getting up. "Besides, I have to get back to work, anyway."

"Oh." I say, kinda disappointed that I didn't really get to speak with him. "Well, I'll see you later, right?"

He flashes me an adorable smile. "Of course." Then he's gone.

I sigh, pull my knees in, rest my arms over them, and plop my chin on them. Is it possible to be around so many people, yet still feel so alone? This is probably the loneliest I've felt since I got here. And it doesn't feel good.

...

I said goodbye to Gaius later that day. It wasn't very pretty.

"Are you sure that you have everything you need?" I ask for maybe the twentieth time.

Gaius nods. "I do, Lizzie. Sometimes I think you act like my mother." He tries to joke.

"Well, as many people do, I care for you Gaius, and I am very upset to see you go. You've acted as a grandfather towards me. To you, I was more than a patient. I'm going to miss that. All Edwin can ever be to me is the creepy court physician."

That rises a chuckle out of Gaius, who quickly goes serious. "Take care of yourself. And be sure not to tell Edwin about what you see in your nightmares."

I nod, and pull Gaius into a hug. Now I let the tears fall freely. Gaius really was like my silly old grandfather back in my universe. "I'm going to miss you." I whisper.

We pull away, and Gaius brushes a tear from my cheek. "And I'm going to miss you too, my girl." He kisses my cheek, and then he's gone. I don't know why I'm so upset, because I know that he'll be back soon. Well, at least I hope he will.

...

My hopes turn into reality, and Gaius returns. I know he and Merlin saved Uther the night before, but Merlin doesn't mention it to me yet, but he probably will later.

We have a ceremony for Gaius today, in honour of him becoming a free man of Camelot and being reinstated as the Court Physician. "I, my family, and my Kingdom are deeply indebted to you. And In honour of this, I not only reinstate you as the court physician, but henceforth, you are a freeman of Camelot." Uther says, handing Gaius a scroll of paper legalizing what he just said.

The whole room erupts into applause, and Morgana and I share a look of happiness.

Life in Camelot was good once again.

** TBC...**

**Okay, so that chapter was totally pointless. But I really **_**really**_** hated this episode, and wanted to get it over with so I could get to the next episode! **

** The next episode happens to be the Gates of Avalon, which is the one with Sophia Ti Amour. Expect a jealous Elizabeth!**

**Lizzie's outfit on Polyvore!**

**Also, Skittles are good! (sorry I'm eating Skittles right now)**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	12. The Gates of Avalon part 1

**AN: Two updates in one day? *gasps***

**It's to say I'm sorry and repay you guys for waiting.**

**Also, I'm really excited for this episode!**

**Here we go, The Gates of Avalon!**

**DISCLAIMER: I ONLY OWN ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

Water.

All I see is water. Until the vision clears, and I can see Arthur's face. Arthur is under water.

And standing above him was that girl, Sophia Tirmawr. Oh no, it's time for this episode.

I kept shaking, trying to reach out to save Arthur, but it wasn't working. Eventually, I woke up with a gasp. "Arthur." I breathed.

...

"It was so real Morgana. I swear." I try telling her.

She grabs me into a hug. "I believe you, don't worry. Maybe a walk around the castle will make you feel better."

I shake my head. "I don't know, Morgana..." Sophia could already be in Camelot by now.

Morgana takes my hands and makes me stand up. "And I do. We're going for a walk." she says, hooking her arm in the crook of mine.

We walk a good deal of time, until Sophia and I lock eyes. I falter in my step, and Morgana asks, "What's wrong?"

I ignore her, and run to Merlin. "Who is that?"

"Uhh, Sophia Tirmawr. We rescued her in the woods. Well, Arthur did most of the rescuing."

I shake my head. "She can't stay here." I insist.

Morgana looks at me strangely. "Well, the King said she and her father were welcome in Camelot. Is everything okay?" Merlin says.

I come back to earth when Morgana touches my arm. "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks Merlin." I tell him. "Morgana, care to walk with me?"

She nods, and I practically drag her back to my room. "What's wrong with Sophia Ti Amour?"

I grab Morgana's arms. "Sophia Tirmawr is the person I saw in my dream."

Morgana shakes her head. "You must be mistaken."

"I would never forget that face Morgana. She's going to try and kill him." I insist.

She grabs my arms and tries to calm me down. "Go see Gaius. You need to see Gaius. Maybe he'll know what to do?"

I nod, and Morgana pulls me into another hug. "Yeah, I should."

...

I walk inside Gaius's chambers, not bothering to knock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." I tell Gaius.

"Nonsense, my child." Gaius says, turning away from his table to greet me. "My favourite patient is always welcome." He gives me a hug. "I'm sorry about the mess. Most of it's Merlin's. If I'd known you were coming, I would have tidy up a bit."

"It's not that, it's just..." I look over to Gaius's bench, which was now, of course, on fire. "Your bench is on fire."

"My bench is on fire." Gaius calmly repeats. Then he realizes what I said and turned to his bench. "My bench is on fire!"

As he picks up the cloth thing that was on fire, I grabbed a bucket full of water. "Here." I say, putting it on the table. Gaius drops it inside, and sighs.

"You are always getting me into trouble." He teases. Then he goes serious. "What brings you to this dark corner?"

"I...had another dream." I explained.

"I see." Gaius says somberly.

I continue. "I say Arthur underwater. He was drowning. And there was a...woman. Standing over him, watching him die. And that woman is now here, in Camelot." I say worriedly.

"The mind plays tricks. It borrows from every day life and plays out its own fantasy." Gaius tries to dismiss, but I knew better.

"But I had this dream the night _before_ she came to Camelot." I insist.

"It must have been a mistake." Gaius tries to tell me.

"I know what I saw." I say sternly. "I could never forget that face Gaius. It was so real. I saw him _die_ Gaius. She's going to kill him. I couldn't bear to let that actually happen."

Gaius grabs my shoulders in an effort to calm me down. "These are just dreams, Elizabeth. Nothing more. You're taking that sleeping draft I made up for you, aren't you?"

I shake my head and sigh. "It doesn't help."

Gaius nods. "Here." He says, going over to his table. "Try this." He grabs a bottle and hands it to me. "It'll induce a deeper sleep. You have nothing to fear." Gaius says.

I nod, but I know better than that. "Thank you, Gaius." I say, and he reaches forward to hug me again. I smile at him, and go to leave. But Gaius's voice calls me back. "Ah, Lizzie? Don't bother Uther about this. No need to worry him."

I nod, then leave to find Morgana. I know it's safe for me to talk to her without being told I'm wrong.

...

Even though I took that sleep inducing draft, I still had that dream again.

Arthur was under water again, and this time, Sophia was clearer. Arthur was still drowning, and I still couldn't do anything to stop it. I eventually awoke with a gasp. I'm just glad that I didn't scream. I hate bothering Gwen with my nightmares.

I had tea with Morgana and Gwen later that day, and I told them about my problems. Man, I am going to miss this Morgana so much. "I just, I don't know what to do Morgana." I say exasperated. "Gaius tells me one thing, while my dreams tell me another."

Morgana rubs my arm empathetically. "I know. But I believe you. You know that right?"

"Yeah, but what does that do?" I ask, getting up to wander to the window. When I do, I just catch Arthur and Sophia leave on their ride.

"Are you sure it was her?" Gwen asks, she and Morgana walking up to join me at the window.

"Why wouldn't she be? She said it was her." Morgana says loyally.

"I could never forget that face, Guinevere." I say, my tone a bit kinder than Morgana's.

"You should speak to the King." She suggests.

"And tell him what? That I can see the future? That Morgana can see the future?" I say, my eyes travelling to my raven haired friend.

"If you think Arthur's life is in danger-" Gwen begins.

"You know how he'd react." Morgana dismisses.

"You are his Lady and his Ward, he wouldn't harm you." Gwen tries to convince us.

"He hates magic more than he cares for us." I say.

"That's not true." Gwen says.

"You care to put it to the test?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow.

"Then what else can you do?" Gwen asks.

"I'm, going to have to try and stop her myself." I tell her.

"You won't be doing it alone." Morgana says fiercely. "I believe you, so I don't want that woman near Arthur as much as you do."

I smile at Morgana. "Thank you." I say gratefully taking her hand and squeezing it.

...

As I was walking in town, I saw Merlin coming out of the stocks, completely covered in food. "What did you do to end up in the stocks?" I ask as I caught up with him.

"I lied to the King." He explains.

We enter his chambers. "What'd you lie to him about?"

"Yes Merlin, enlighten us." Gaius asks, after seeing the state that Merlin was in.

"Arthur wanted to get out of going on the patrol with Uther and the guards, so I covered for him and took the blame." He said, pouring some water into a basin.

"And Arthur was prepared to let you do this?" Gaius asks.

"It was his idea." Merlin reveals.

"What made him neglect his duties like that? It must have been something terribly important." Gaius questions aloud as I sat down in a chair.

One word came out of Merlin's mouth. "Sophia."

I took a sharp breath in, and Gaius and I shared a look. "What did he want with Sophia?"

"He wanted to take her out for the day." Merlin says with a grin on his face. If he doesn't stop smiling I'm going to slap it right off of him. He continues to wash out the food from his hair as he says, "He is completely besotted."

"But they've only just met." I say, as if that makes a difference.

"I know. I guess it must have been love at first sight." Trust me when I say that I couldn't control my actions next. "Need a towel?" I asked.

Merlin nods. "Oh, yeah, sure, thanks."

I grab a towel, and whip it right in his face. "OW! What was that for?" Merlin asks as he rubs his sore face.

"You wanted a towel." I say simply.

"Yeah, but not in my face." He argued.

"Your face was dirty though! Come on Merlin, this isn't that hard." I say, getting up to leave the room. "I have to go find Morgana. If you'll excuse me."

I really couldn't stand being in that lovely dovey atmosphere that Merlin seems to have going on.

...

I rounded a corner when I bumped into somebody. I was about to apologize since I was so lost in my own thoughts, but stopped when I saw who it was. Sophia.

"Sorry!" she says, but then she sees that it's me, and extends a hand with a wide smile on her face. "Lady Elizabeth, isn't it? I'm Sophia."

"What are you doing here?" I ask. I know I was being rude, but I honestly don't give a damn.

"My father and I are guests of the King." She says innocently.

I scoff. "Don't act so innocent. You're lying. I know what you're going to do to him and I won't let it happen." I say, sticking my head up to give me more confidence. I've gained a lot since I've gotten here.

Sophia looks to the ground then back to me. "Does Arthur know you feel this way about him? Of course he does. I suspect he's already turned you down."

Oh, that is _it. _"Don't think you can make a fool out of me."

"I don't have to. You're managing to do that well enough yourself." She says smugly.

Fed up with this girl, I decide to be blunt. "Listen here you scrawny little bitch," her eyes widen at the insult. "If you lay one of those meaty finger on Arthur's head, I promise you, you will be dead before I can snap my fingers. Stay away from him."

"Or what?" She asks menancingly. "Jealousy is such an unattractive trait in a woman."

I chuckle softly. "So is a black eye. I gave you a warning. I hope for your sake that you heed it." Then I leave, purposely avoiding her glare. I was never one of those bitchy types of girls like at school, but man, did it feel good.

I found Morgana in her chambers. She brightened when she saw me. "Ah! Lizzie! I had the perfect idea. Talk to Arthur about Sophia."

I falter in my steps. "What?"

"Well, he is the one in danger. He should be warned about what's going on." Morgana says, explaining her reasoning.

"But he'll just precieve it as jealousy!" I protest.

Morgana stands up and pats my arm. "Which is why you have to make it sound like you aren't jealous. Tell him about your dream. Now, go on." She literally shoved me out her room.

"That was very rude." I say to myself. But I leave for Arthur's anyway. When I'm outside his chambers, I take a deep breath, then knock on the door. "Who is it?"

"Elizabeth." I called back.

"Come in!" He said.

I gently opened the door and cautiously walked in. "Elizabeth. To what do I owe the honour."

"I heard you went out riding with Sophia today." I say, bringing her up just so it'll seem like we're on the same topic. I lean my arm against a chair.

"Then you heard correct." He said with a smile, walking to somewhere in his room.

"You seem very fond of her." I point out.

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Arthur says.

I lift a shoulder. "Not necessarily. I've just never seen you fall under a woman's spell so quickly." Maybe it was just the power of the spell that did it.

"If you're jealous, Elizabeth, it's okay to admit it." Arthur teases.

Uh, no it's not. He will never let me live it down. "Don't flatter yourself. There is nothing to be jealous _of._"

"Come on," Arthur says, sitting on his bed to take his boots off. "Wouldn't be the first time now, would it?"

If it wasn't, then I wouldn't have remembered. I roll my eyes and move to get closer to him to emphasize my point. "Arthur, all I'm doing is trying to protect you. She isn't what she seems."

"Why? What makes you say that?" Arthur asks, getting up from the bed.

"I just have a feeling." I say weakly. "I can't explain it, it's difficult to describe."

I suck up all my dignity and finally tell him about my dream. "I had a dream, a nightmare."

That only causes Arthur to burst into laughter, as I thought it would. "You really are very sweet Elizabeth."

I get really angry. The prat doesn't realize how much danger he's in! "Why the hell are you laughing?" I practically hiss.

"You. Your feelings, bad dreams. You don't have to make this stuff up. You can tell me the truth." He says, sitting in a chair. "It's obvious you like me."

"Less and less by the second." The idiot is blantanly ignoring me!

"All right. Whatever you say." He says teasingly, sipping from his goblet.

I shake my head in disbelief. "You really are intolerable. I just hope I'm wrong about her." But everything in me knows that I'm right. I leave his chambers without another word, and walk back to Morgana's. As soon as I walk in, she's onto me. "So what did he say?"

"He ignored me and accused me of being jealous! The nerve!" I say, throwing my hands up.

"But...you _are_ jealous, aren't you?" Morgana asks.

I groan. "Not you too Morgana!"

She just laughs and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "I'm just kidding." She suddenly goes serious. "So what are we to do?"

I rub my temples. "I don't know." And I really hate not knowing. I can see the future, for goodness sake!

_**Third person's POV**_

"Not again, Merlin." Gaius says exasperated as he entered his chambers.

He walks farther into the room. "You would think that appeal of pelting the same person with fruit would wear off after a while, but oh, no." He says, pouring some water into basin

"I heard that Arthur wasn't at thet Knighting ceremony." Gaius says.

"Yeah, he wanted to make the most of his time left with Sophia." Merlin says with another grin on his face.

"So you helped him." Gaius concludes.

"I'm his servant, I had to." Merlin says simply.

"You shouldn't have done that, Merlin." Gaius says.

Merlin lifts his head and looks at Gaius in curiosity, and Gaius continues. "I fear that Sophia may not be all that she seems."

"Why?" Merlin asked.

"What do you know about seers?" Gaius asks, getting up from his chair.

"Not much. They're supposed to be able to see the future." Merlin says, giving the knowledge that he has. "Like prophets." He summarizes.

"It's said to be an innate ability. Those who have it are born that way. Some aren't even aware that what they see is the future, it comes to them in their dreams."

"What's this got to do with Sophia?" Merlin asks, very confused.

"The night before she and Aulfric came to Camelot, Elizabeth had a dream." Merlin's eyes widen at the mention of Lizzie. "Sophia was in it."

Merlin's eyes then opened even wider. "_Before_ she came to Camelot?"

Gaius nods gravelly. "I've been watching Elizabeth since she was very young. And though I've tried to persuade myself otherwise, I realized that some of the things she said she dreamt have come to pass. Morgana is the same way as she is. Most of the time they both have the same dream. It's the off chance that one has a different dream from the other. I kept it secret from Uther, of course. The gift of prophecy is to close to the work of magic."

"You think Elizabeth and Morgana are seers?" Merlin sums up.

"No, I don't think it. I fear it." Gaius voices. "Elizabeth-and only Elizabeth this time- said that she dreamt that Sophia killed Arthur."

Merlin straightens up in surprise. "Couldn't that have just been a dream? Maybe the woman that Lizzie saw just looked like Sophia."

"That's what I hoped, but Aulfric caught me in Sophia's room, and in a flash of anger, his eyes changed colour."

"Who are they?" Merlin asked, perplexed.

"It's not who they are that worries me. It's what they want with Arthur."

_** Lizzie's POV...**_

The next day, Arthur requested an audience with Uther, and it can only be for one thing.

"I have requested this audience, Father, to discuss a matter of great importance." Arthur begins. "It cannot have escaped your attention that I and Lady Sophia Tirmawr have grown very close."

"Not too close I hope." Uther jokes.

"We're in love." He announces.

Morgana's eyes widen and she shares a quick glance with me. Uther does the same thing, and Arthur continues to speak. "Which is why I come before you today to ask your permission to marry."

Uther, to everyone's surprise, bursts into laughter. "I assume you're joking."

Arthur just shakes his head. "No. I'm going to marry her."

"But you only met two days ago." Uther points out.

"We're in love." Arthur says sternly.

"'In love'?" Uther quoted. He turned his head to me. "We had no idea that you were such a romantic, had we, Elizabeth?"

I share a quick glance with Morgana, and turn to face Arthur. "No. He's just full of surprises."

"I'm going to marry her. I don't care what either of you think about it." Arthur says firmly.

"I thought you'd come to ask my permission." Uther reminds him.

"Out of courtesy, nothing more." Arthur says, turning to leave, taking Sophia's hand.

"Guards, door." Uther commands.

The Guards instantly block the door, and Uther hands me the paper he had been holding to stand up. "Have you forgotten who's court you are standing in?"

"You won't stop me. If I want to marry her, I will." Arthur says.

I know that this is stupid and that he's only saying this stuff because he's under a spell, but what he's saying actually really hurts.

Uther looks down to the ground and says, "Arrest Sophia and Aulfric Tirmawr."

The Guards move and grab Sophia and her father as Arthur walks up to his. "What're you doing?"

"And inform the executioner his services will be required tomorrow morning." Uther continues.

YES! For once, I am more than willing to let Uther execute someone!

"You can't do this!" Arthur protests.

"Yes, I can. And unless you show me some respect, I will." Uther says firmly.

When Arthur quiets down, Uther tells the guards to release them. No, no! Don't! Really, when I _want_ you to kill someone, you won't?!

"You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won't be the only one." Uther explains to him, taking the scroll back from me. "Enjoy yourself while you can."

Arthur bows, then leaves. After we adjourned, Uther and I walk in the castle's hallways. "You're not planning on springing any surprises on me, are you?" he asks.

"Don't you think you should be taking this a little more seriously?" I ask.

"He's young, foolish, and in love. Give it a week and he'll be chasing after the next girl that catches his eye." Uther dismisses.

"Sophia will never let that happen." I mumble under my breath.

"Do you bear a grudge against our guest?" Uther asks curiously.

How do I put this so that I don't actually sound like the woman from the movie The Grudge. "There's something about her I don't trust. You've seen the way Arthur's changed since she arrived."

"He's a fool in love." Uther repeats.

"She's dangerous." I try to insist.

"Dangerous? To who?"

"Arthur." I answer.

Uther sighs. "Why do you say that?"

"I just have a sort of sense, and sort of feeling..." I trail off.

"And what has she done to make you have this feeling?" Uther asks, humoring me.

"Nothing yet. It's what she's planning on doing." I say.

We walk in silence for a bit, when I decide that I might actually have to tell Uther about my dream, for Arthur and his safety. "I don't know how to tell you this." I begin.

"Try." Uther prompts. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

I gather the courage to say it, but chicken out last minute. "I've just seen girls like her before. They string men along and then drop them." Stupid, stupid, Lizzie..."I just don't want to see him get hurt."

Uther gently sets a hand on my shoulder. "I know you want to protect him, but some lessons we have to learn for ourselves. He'll hurt for a week and then Sophia will be forgotten." He soothes, lightly grabbing my chin to comfort me, and for a second, I actually was.

"I hope so." I say lamely.

"Are you sure there is nothing else behind this?" He asks one more time.

But I just shake my head. "Yes, it's really nothing."

He nods, and then leaves. I groan, dragging my fingers through my hair. Then I run to find Merlin. Once I do, I hide in a corridor and grab his arm when he's in full view. He jumps in surprise, but settles down when he sees it's just me. "Liz, what's going on?"

"I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it. I had a dream that Sophia was going to kill Arthur. And I had this dream before she came to Camelot." I say. Funny, it's easier to say it to Merlin then Uther.

"I was just on my way to try and talk Arthur out of it, come with me." He says, grabbing my hand. As soon as I nod, we're off. I just hope we get there in time to try and change the clotpole's mind.

**TBC...**

**Whoo, that's a lot! It would have the whole episode, but it's like 12:30 AM where I am and I have school in the morning.**

**Lizzie's outfit on Polyvore!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	13. The Gates of Avalon part 2

**AN: ANOTHER UPDATE YEA!**

**I'm REALLY excited, because then it's The Beginning of the End, Mordred's episode!**

**SO LET'S GO!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. OKAY GREAT.**

**Enjoy!**

Merlin and I crashed into Arthur's room, where he was packing clothes. He looks at the two of us before he says, "Get out."

"I thought that the King was a bit harsh." Merlin says.

Harsh? I would have rathered Sophia died.

"I don't need sympathy Merlin, especially not from you." Arthur says, continuing to pack.

"But Uther does have a point." I jump in.

He looks at the two of us with death glares. "I ordered you to get out. Both of you, leave me!"

"I am not going to take orders from you, especially in this state of mind." I say.

"I know what you think you're doing is, and I know that you think that you're in love with Sophia-"

But Arthur cuts him off. "Who are you, to tell me what I'm thinking?"

"I'm your friend." Merlin says, trying to console him.

"No Merlin, you're my servant." He says firmly.

"Then what does that make me?" I ask, my voice dipping.

Arthur didn't have the chance to answer because Merlin cut in. "You don't know what you're doing."

"You're under a spell." I try to explain.

"I told you people would try to keep us apart." Sophia says, walking inside the room.

"I know. I won't let that happen." Arthur assured her.

"No, don't listen to her, she's controlling you." Merlin says.

Sophia walks further into the room. "We can elope together. Get away from this place, these people."

Merlin points to her father. "I saw you." He turns to Arthur. "I followed him. They're planning to sacrifice you."

He scoffs. "You let your servant talk to your guests this way?"

"I know what you're going to do because I followed you to the lake and I heard everything." He turns to Arthur. "You've got to believe me."

Arthur starts to get disoriented, but Sophia speaks up. "Don't listen to him, Arthur. Let's go. Let's leave tonight."

I grab Arthur's sword and point it right at Sophia. "You are going nowhere. Not with him." I turn my head to Arthur. "She is going to kill you."

Merlin nods. "Sophia plans to sacrifice you to buy a life of immortality. If you go with her, you'll die."

Arthur shakes his head, gettting more disoriented. "It doesn't make any sense. "We're-we're in love."

"They're magical beings!" Merlin pretty much shouts. "Look at the writing on the staff." He says, moving for the staff, but Aulfric pulls it away and his eyes turn red.

"Look at his eyes!" I shout.

"Look at him. Do you believe us now?" Merlin asks. "Arthur, do you see?!"

Arthur turns his head to us, his eyes glowing bright red. "I see everything." He says.

Merlin, in panic, moves to run at the staff again. But Aulfric blows him back with the magic from his staff, and Merlin flies into the wall.

"Merlin!" I shout, looking after him. I move to run Sophia through, but Aulfric points his staff back at me, and mutters an incantation that sends a blue lightning towards me. I move to run, but I'm not quick enough, and the magic collides with my body, sending a course of hot pain through my body and flying me against the wall too. I knock my head against the wall, hard, and fall ontop of Merlin. One more bang to the head on the floor and I was knocked out.

_** Third person POV...**_

Wondering where Lizzie was, Morgana walked towards her window. Once she did, her forehead creases as she sees Arthur, Sophia, and Aulfric walking away from Camelot. Only then did she realize that Lizzie's vision was coming true.

She runs to the only person Lizzie's told. "He's gone! Arthur's gone with her, she's taken him." She cries to Gaius.

"Slow down." Gaius says, putting both hands on either side of Morgana's shoulders.

"I know you don't believe us, but I'm so sure it's going to happen, Lizzie's dream is going to come true. She's like me, so I have every reason to believe her." Morgana says.

"I do believe you two." Gaius assures her.

"I've got to tell Uther." She says, moving to run to the King.

"You can't." Gaius protests.

"I've got to do something." Morgana insists. "If I don't, then Arthur will die."

"You can't tell Uther about Lizzie's dream. If Uther thinks that she's got the seers' power, he'll charge her with witchcraft. The same way he'd do you."

Morgana shakes her head. "I don't have a choice. I couldn't live with myself if I know I'd let him die. I'd go with Lizzie, but I don't know where she is."

Gaius scrunches his eyebrows. "You do not know where she is?" Morgana shakes her head, and Gaius goes back to the matter at hand. "Wait. We've known each other a long time, you trust me, don't you Morgana?"

"Yes, you know I do. And Lizzie does too, but-"

Gaius cuts her off. "Then trust me now. Stay here, and don't say a word to anyone about this."

"But, Arthur..." She begins.

"I'll take care of it." Gaius assures her. He moves towards the door.

"Where're you going?" Morgana asks worriedly.

"To find someone who can." Gaius tells her.

_**Lizzie's POV...**_

I felt an intense throbbing in my head when I came to. I roll my head to the side, and saw that Merlin was still out. When I tried shaking him awake, Gaius barged in. "Merlin! Liz! What happened to you guys?"

Merlin groans softly as Gaius and I brought him back. I playfully scruffle his hair. "Don't scare me like that again."

He just smiles weakly and turns his head slowly to Gaius. "Aulfric. Where's Arthur?"

"We have to go after him?" A buzzing noise enters my head. "What's the buzzing noise?" I ask, putting a hand to my head.

"You hear it too?" Merlin asks.

Gaius helps Merlin and me to stand up. I'm a little more stable than he is, so I can stand on my own. "Careful Merlin, you can barely stand."

"We've got to go." Merlin says.

"You can't, not in this state. You owe it to your powers that you survived this at all." Gaius tells him.

"We'll be fine, he needs us." I insist.

We move to leave, but Gaius stops us by grabbing our arms. "Has that buzzing noise stopped?"

No. "Yeah." We both said.

"Liars." Gaius says, a tease in his voice.

"I have to go Gaius, he'll die if I don't." Merlin says.

"I'm coming with you." Merlin was about to argue when I cut him off. "Merlin, this is Arthur we're talking about. I have to go."

He nods, and we turn back to Gaius. "The Sidhe are a vicious people." Gaius explains. "You two must be careful."

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing." Merlin says, grabbing my hand. He leads me right. "Merlin? Liz?"

We turn around, and Gaius points left. "This way."

We look to each other then back to Gaius. "We were just testing." I say, before we run off.

It's a long run, but we make good time. The good thing is that it wasn't much of a struggle regarding my legs and my lungs. I'm really exercising here too much. I couldn't even do it at home. Maybe it's a good thing. Oh who am I kidding it's torture.

Merlin trips over a root, and falls to the ground. I groan and roll my eyes before grabbing him and helping him up. Then we keep running. Aulfric must be halfway through the ceremony by now.

We come to a stop just behind Aulfric. Using his magic, Merlin brings Sophia's staff to himself. He grabs it, and points it towards Aulfric. He chants, and blue lightning erupts from the staff into Aulfric's body, causing him to scream in pain before exploding into millions of crystal pieces. Okay, I've got to admit, that's pretty cool.

Sophia sees Merlin destroy her Dad. "Father! No! No!" She screams, before Merlin uses the staff again and destroys Sophia.

Merlin quicklys drops the staff to the ground, and he dives into the water after Arthur. He's under there for a long time, so I decide to jump into the water too. I see Merlin and Arthur under water, and help drag Arthur up to the surface. We finally do, and I gasp for air. I help Merlin get him onto the surface, and we make sure that he has no water in his lungs. Then we make our way back to Camelot. And we had to drag Arthur all the way. In soaking wet clothes. That is such a rip off!

...

I sit with Gaius and Merlin as we wait for Arthur to wake up. It's been a couple hours since we came back to Camelot. Eventually, we heard soft moans coming from Arthur. Merlin and I exchange looks before I look back to Arthur.

"Arthur?" I say, trying to get his attention.

"What happened?" he asked, clearly groggy. "Where am I?"

"Can you remember anything?" Merlin asks.

Arthur sits up and groans, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Oh, my head..."

He blinked a couple times, and I guess the memories must have flooded back to him. "There was a girl. Sophia. I asked my father something about her, I asked him..." His eyes widen and he bolts up completely in bed. "What was I thinking?"

"Obviously, you weren't, so it looks like nothing has changed!" I say.

Arthur gives me a playful glare. "Not now, Elizabeth."

"Anyways," Merlin says, bringing us back into the right topic. "We wondered. Especially when you eloped with her last night."

Arthur's eyes turn to the size of saucers. "I did what?!"

"Merlin and Liz had to bring you back to Camelot." Gaius supplied.

"I don't recall any of this!" Arthur proclaimed.

"It must have been some blow." I say, pretending to nod my head to Merlin.

"What blow?" Arthur asks slowly.

"Well, when we caught up with you, we couldn't persuade you to return, you were beyond reason." I explained our lie. I look over to Merlin. "So Merlin had to make you."

"You managed to knock me out?" Arthur asks disbelieving.

"Yeah, with a lump of wood." I say, then I pat Merlin's arm and lean a little closer to him. "He was so strong, and so brave. He was a real man." I only said that to get a reaction out of the two boys. And let me tell you, they were good. Arthur, of course, was beyond furious. Merlin, however, was his cute, shy self. And he just blushed and looked away.

"He only did it to bring you back safely." Gaius adds.

Quick as a flash, Arthur brought a finger up and pointed it in our direction. "No one can know about this. Any of it. Is that understood?"

Gaius and Merlin nod, and Arthur notices that I don't. "Elizabeth?"

I shrug my shoulders. "You know me Arthur, I can't keep a secret to save my life." But I can keep one to save someone else's. I share a quick glance with Merlin, and, with a smug smile on my face, I leave his room to find Morgana. Wait till she gets a load of this!

...

"When you failed to show up for patrol this morning, I feared you'd eloped with Sophia in a fit of passion." Uther says, as we all sit in the throne room later that day.

Arthur looked over to Merlin, who stepped forward and said. "I wish he had. Because then I wouldn't be stood in front of you feeling like an idiot. Again."

Uther goes to stand in front of Merlin. "This is becoming a near daily occurence for you."

"But it was a mistake. And I would not say that it was anyone's fault." After Arthur gives him a quick look Merlin quickly adds, "Not really...Um...you could say it was mine." he stammered.

"Could somebody tell me what happened?" Uther asks.

Just as Merlin is about to answer, Uther cuts him off. "Somebody with a brain."

Merlin looks a little hurt and discouraged, but when I give him a small smile in encouragement he instantly brightens up.

"After Sophia left, I wanted to take my mind off her so I went for a hunt." As Arthur spewed the lie, Morgana's forehead creases as she looks to me and back to Arthur. "And killing things mends a broken heart?" She asks.

"No, but it's good fun." Arthur says sarcastically, and turns to Merlin. "Merlin, was meant to inform you that I wouldn't be back until later today."

Arthur gestures to Merlin, and Uther turns to him. "Have you some kind of mental affliction?"

"Probably." Merlin answers, sharing a quick, secret look with me.

"I'm looking into it, Sire." Gaius informs him .

Merlin looks back to Gaius, I guess a little offended. Hey, I would be too. "Well, I hope for our sake you find a cure, or we'll find ourselves with a food shortage on our hands."

"Food shortage?" Merlin asks with a laugh, assuming Uther was joking, then his face went serious when he realized what he actually meant.

...

After we all adjourned and Merlin was put into the stocks again, Arthur caught me as I was going back to my chambers. "Elizabeth?"

I turn around, waiting for him to catch up. "Yes?"

"I, just wanted to, apologize, for not believing you about Sophia." Arthur says.

I tap the side of my head. "Do my ears decieve me, or is Arthur Pendragon actually apologizing?"

Arthur chuckles and looks down at his hands. "Well, don't expect it that often."

"Well, who's to say that I accept your apology?" I say, cocking an eyebrow, and Arthur's smirk drops. "What?" He asks.

"I don't like being called a liar or being made fun of, Arthur Pendragon." I tap his shoulder. "I'm going to get you back for this." I start walking down the hall, and turn around, walking backwards. "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But I'm going to get you."

The look on his face was priceless. Like he was actually scared of what I could do. Go Camelot me!

...

I awoke with a gasp, bolting up in bed, finally escaping from my nightmare. It takes me a bit to get my heartrate back down, but when I do, I collapse against my fluffy pillows. These aren't going to stop, are they?

And I have a feeling that I'm going to be causing a lot of trouble in Camelot because of it.

**TBC...**

**I STAY UP WAY TOO LATE.**

**Anyways, that was the Gates of Avalon! Up next, Mordred's chapter! OMG I AM SO EXCITED!**

**I may or not be doing this from now on, but I'm also going to be doing the preview of the next episode, like they do in the actual episode.**

**So, until next time, review, thanks, and stay tuned!**

**THE ADVENTURE OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...**

A young boy and a young man run through Camelot as we hear the Dragon's voice. "This boy should not be protected."

The head of the young man is chopped of, and Elizabeth Malinor shuts her eyes as if that would block the horrible sound.

"He's a Druid. His kind would see me dead and you would help them." Uther accuses Elizabeth.

"If the boy lives, the young Sorcerer and the Once and Future King cannot fulfill their destinies. And you cannot either, in a way." Kilgharrah answers.

Uther's hand goes right across Elizabeth's face. and he grabs hold of her throat as he pushes her back against the chair. "Enough!" He proclaims.

"We need your help." Merlin informs Gaius.

"So now you want me to risk my neck, too?" Gaius asks.

"But why am I connected to the Druid boy? Why do I feel such a connection, that is just like one Morgana had with him?" Elizabeth asks Kilgharrah, confused as hell.

"That boy is connected to your destiny like a double edged sword. Be careful to choose as to what end you grab. Both have great consquences." He informs her.

"Are you telling me, that my destiny either lies with Merlin and Arthur, or Morgana and Mordred?" Elizabeth asks, disbelieving.

**And that's it! Stay tuned for The Beginning of the End!**


	14. The Beginning of the End part 1

**AN: LOOK WHO'S BACK?**

**So after a week of doing homework (and crying because of homework), I am back!**

**But this'll probably be the only time I'll update until Friday, which is probably a good thing since Excalibur will be a very quick episode to type up.**

**Know what time it is?**

**IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE END!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MERLIN.**

**Enjoy!**

Morgana, Gwen, and I's nice day in my chambers was interrupted when Merlin came bursting through the door. "Have you forgotten how to knock, Merlin?" Morgana asks.

It was only then did I realize that he wasn't alone. There was a little boy with him. Mordred, to be exact. Uh oh, the Beginning of the End has started. "The guards are after him, I didn't know what to do." Merlin says looking at me, a pleading look in his eyes.

But I wasn't looking at Merlin. I was looking at Mordred. For some weird reason, I felt really pulled to Mordred. I felt like I wanted to grab him and keep him safe from the entire world.

I look to Morgana, and she has the same look on her face. A loud knock on the door alerts me of the guards, so I just point behind me farther into my chambers. "In there." I say, not knowing why I just said that. Normally, I probably would have just shoved Mordred out of the room, because of the role he plays in Arthur's death, but again, I felt like I needed to protect this defenseless little boy.

Merlin takes Mordred's hand and moves further in and hides behind a curtain. There's a knock on the door again, and I pull myself together to get to the door.

I open it, and some guards are standing there. "I'm sorry to disturbe you my Lady. We're searching for a young Druid boy, we believe he came this way."

"I haven't seen anyone." I say, lying through my teeth. "It's just me, the Lady Morgana, and our maid."

He nods. "Best keep the door locked till we find him."

"Thank you." I say, shutting the door and locking it. Then the three of us run to where Merlin and Mordred are. I fall to my knees next to Mordred and looked at him with great concern. Hey, don't ask me. I'm not even sure why I feel that why. Merlin takes his hand from Mordred's arm, which is stained with blood. He looks at me with concern, and Morgana and I exchange a worried look. What are we going to do?

...

We try to make Mordred as comfortable as possible, and Merlin goes to stand next to the window. Mordred's accomplice's execution was going to happen today. Right now, actually. Which was why Merlin was standing by the window.

Morgana was standing by Merlin, looking down at the square. I was actually sitting next to Mordred, a hand on his small arm. I don't know why I was loving this little boy so much. Maybe I should ask the Dragon later...

"People of Camelot," I hear Uther from outside. Damn guy is so loud. "This man before you is guilty of using enchantments and magic. And under our law, is sentenced for this crime as death. We're still searching for his accomplice anyone found harboring the boy is guilty of conspiracy."

Huh. I've never been guilty of anything before. Felt pretty cool, actually. "And will be executed as a traitor." Not so cool.

Morgana, Merlin and I all shared looks of worry. "Let this be a warning to your people." Uther continues.

"You've let your fear of magic turn to hate." The man says cooly. "I pity you."

Morgana chokes back a sob and says to Merlin, "I can't watch this." She comes and sits next to me. I know what's coming next, and I couldn't help my next actions. I leaned over and pulled Mordred to me. I put my chin ontop of his head.

Mordred starts breathing heavily, as if he knew what was going to happen next. The man's head was chopped off, and I closed my eyes as if that would block out the horrible sound.

Suddenly, the mirror on my wall shatters into a million pieces. I jump at the sound of it, and I just stared at the mirror, trying to catch my breath. I looked over to Merlin, who shares a strange look with me. Then I looked to Mordred, who just looked up at me with his pale blue eyes. I just rubbed his head and hugged him closer to me, looking back to Merlin. Dear God, this is just a 'what now' sort of day, isn't it?

...

Merlin comes back after being gone for a bit, and I answer the door when he knocks. "How is he?"

"He's sleeping." I tell him, and begin to walk back to Mordred. "He's very pale. Morgana and I worry that he has lost a lot of blood." I pull the curtain back slightly, and we both look at the sound asleep Mordred. Aww, he looks just like an angel when he sleeps...ack, stop it Liz!

"Has he said anything at all?" Merlin asks.

"Nothing." Morgana says from her spot on the floor next to the boy. "He won't even tell us his name."

"You know, uh, for a moment there, earlier, I thought you were going to hand us over to the guards." Merlin embarrasingly confesses.

"I'm glad you have so much faith in us, Merlin." Morgana says coily.

"No, no, no, sorry. Mmm, I meant you are the King's Ward, and the Lady of Camelot." Merlin said, looking from Morgana to me. "You two are taking a huge risk helping the boy."

I shake my head. "I wouldn't see an innocent child executed. Neither would Morgana." I think that's why I'm acting so sweet to him. He's a kid, and I love kids. I've always wanted them. I mean, I was becoming an English Education Major. Even thought they weren't nessecarily young kids, they were still kids, right? And then there's the whole fact about Mordred. I mean, how can I hate someone so much for something that he does in the future? I mean, I could totally change his destiny. According to Doctor Who, time can be rewritten. So the time that Mordred killed Arthur can be rewritten, right?

Morgana nods with me. "What harm has he ever done anyone?" She asks no one in particular.

"Well, Uther believes he has magic, and that makes him guilty." Merlin says.

Morgana looks up fiercely. But, in a scary calm way. "Uther's wrong."

Merlin looks at us surprised. "You believe that?"

Morgana sighs. "What if magic isn't something you choose?"

I give Merlin a pointed look, and finish Morgana's thought. " Yeah. What if it chooses you?"

Merlin and I keep looking at each other. We both know how that feels. And I'm not even sure if mine is even pure magic. After a while, it's a bit uncomfortable and I decide to have a little fun. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Merlin clears his throat and shakes his head. "Nothing."

Morgana looks from Merlin to me and then back to Merlin. "Why are you helping him?" She asks, her tone of voice very interested.

Merlin was quiet for a bit before speaking up. "It was a spilt second decision." Merlin looks back to me, and then looks back to Mordred. "What do you think we should do with him? He can't exactly stay here."

"We have to find a way to get him back to his people." I say right away. Like, Merlin wasn't even done his sentence yet when I answered. Giving this little boy back to his people seemed like the only important thing right now.

Merlin looks to Morgana, who looks to me, and we all nod in agreement.

...

Later that night, Uther, Morgana, and I were all having dinner together. Man, the food here is actually really good. I mean, it's no McDonalds, but it's still really delicious the way they prepare it.

I'm sipping from my goblet when I see that Morgana is looking at me with great concern. You know sometimes, I think she cares about me too much. Uther notices my silence and I flash him a sweet smile.

Uther puts his goblet down and speaks. "You seem troubled, Elizabeth. Is something wrong?"

"No, my Lord." I say, my voice very chipper. "I'm sorry I'm not better company"

"I'm just concerned for your wellfare, is all." He says.

"Thank you, My Lord. All is well." I assure him. Then I look to Morgana. "Although, neither is Morgana, if I may add."

She gives me a look, and half laugh half scoffs in disbelief. "Lizzie!"

"Well can you blame me?" I say. We playfully bicker (much to the amusement of Uther) for a few more seconds before th doors behind us open, and Arthur enters the room.

"What news of the hunt of the Druid boy?" Uther asks instantly.

"We have conducted an extensive search, the boy is no where to be found." Arthur reports, leaning his arms against the chair beside Uther.

"You mean you failed to find him?" Uther asks, leaning back in his chair.

"Perhaps he's already left the city." Arthur suggests.

"You're telling me that a wounded boy is able to evade the guards and escape the city, nonsense. Someone's hiding him." Uther decudes, grabbing his goblet. "I want him found." He commands.

"He's just a boy, what harm can he do?" Arthur tries to argue, and it takes everything in me not to throw my arms around him. I mean, it's extremely attractive when a man is so caring about children, but with my heightened emotions regarding Mordred, I wanted to hold Arthur even more.

"He's a Druid, and that makes him dangerous." Uther says.

Morgana gives me a look that says, 'I'll handle this' and speaks up. "The Druids would see your father's Kingdom destroyed." Ahh, smart girl. Covering up the fact that we're holding the Druid boy. It's more likely that Uther would think that we hated the Druids and everything about them.

"I had no idea that you were such an authority about Druids." Arthur said pointedly.

"Morgana is right." Uther proclaims. "Double your efforts."

Arthur sighs, but says, "Yes, father.", and moves to leave.

"Keep searching until you find him." Uther commands.

Morgana and I share secret looks, and I know she's as relieved as I am that we have one less problem to deal with, for now.

...

Merlin is leaning over Mordred, examining him. He places his hand on Mordred's forehead. "He's burning up, how long has he been like this?"

"Since early this morning." Morgana says worriedly.

"We think his wound may be infected." I bring up.

Morgana nods in agreement. "We need Gaius before it gets any worse."

Merlin is already shaking his head. "We can't involve Gaius, it's too dangerous. Besides, if he finds out about this he'll execute me himself."

"We need to get him out of Camelot." I insist.

"And we can't do that while he's sick." Morgana says firmly. "We need a physician."

Merlins is slient for a while before he speaks. "I'll treat him." he announces.

Morgana looks at him in disbelief. "Merlin, do you know how to treat an infected wound?"

"Not exactly." Merlin admits. "But I'm a fast learner."

Suddenly, we hear footsteps, and the three of our heads instantly turn to the sound. It sounded like it was going to pass my door, but they stop and knock on it. No doubt it's Arthur. We all look to each other in panic before I stand up and grab Morgana's arm and pulled her back. It looks weird for Merlin to be in my chambers, but not Morgana. She is almost always with me, and I'm almost always with her. It's really rare to see us apart. I shut the curtain, and Morgana goes over to the table that I have and sits down. I quickly exchange a look with her, and she nods, saying that I could answer the door. I smooth my skirts, and quickly open the door.

As I suspected, Arthur is standing there. "Arthur. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Morgana says smugly from her spot at the table.

"Don't get all excited, this is not a social call." He says to her in the same tone of voice. He turns to me. "I'm looking for the Druid boy. I'm afraid I'm going to have to search your chambers."

"You're _not_ searching me chambers." I say firmly. He can't find Mordred. If he does, then all hell will break loose.

"Don't take it personally, I have to search the entire castle, including your room Morgana." Arthur says, looking to her. He looks back to me. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"I'm not having you mess up my things." I say firmly, crossing my arms.

"I'm not interested in your things. I'm just looking for any evidence that the Druid boy's in the castle." Arthur says.

"Perhaps the Druid boy is hiding in _your_ chambers." Morgana says. "They're usually such a mess, you'd never know." I have to try hard to keep a laugh in.

"It's hardly my fault that I have such a lazy idiot for a servant." Arthur says, continuing to look.

"If you can't even find your own servant what hope do you have of finding the boy?" Morgana asks.

"Really, I'm touched by your confidence in my abilities and as much as I'd love to stay and chat, the sooner we get started the sooner we get finished." Arthur says, taking a piece of food off my plate. Morgana rolls her eyes at his bad manners.

"Well, I'll save you the trouble." I say, moving to use Morgana in the show's idea.

"Trust me, if I could find him, I would." Arthur explained.

"The Druid boy is hiding behind the screen." I say, inclining my head as to which screen. From behind Arthur, Morgana looks at me like I'm a mad woman. I just give her a look that says, 'go with it'. She calms down a little, but not by much.

"I'm sure your father would love to know how you wasted your time by rifiling through my things." I say, walking to Arthur so that we were almost chest to chest. "Go on." I say, nodding my head in the direction again.

"So you can have the satisfaction of making me look like a fool?" Arthur asks.

Morgana comes and stands next to me, hooking her arm through mine. "Well, in our experience, you don't need any help looking like a fool." She says.

"What are you waiting for?" I ask, giving him a mischevious smirk. "Take a look."

"Why don't you just go back to braiding each other's hair or whatever it is you do all day." He says, moving to leave.

"At least it'll be more than you ever do." Morgana says after him. "Bye, Arthur. Good luck with the search."

Arthur doesn't answer, just slams the door shut behind him. After he does, Morgana huffs in relief, and grabs my arms. "Can I just say, that you are brilliantly stupid? That could have cost us everything!"

I shrug. "You gotta love reverse psychology."

Morgana looks at me a little funny. Ugh, I keep forgetting that people don't understand 21st Century stuff. I mentioned the Backstreet Boys to Gwen once and she looked at me like I was crazy. Ahh, how I missed the 21st Century. Actually, it was quite a relief to be away from all that 'swag' and 'hastag YOLO' idiocy. 1 point for Camelot, 0 for the 21st Century!

...

Merlin returned maybe two hours after he left. He was only supposed to be getting supplies for Mordred, but I know that Gaius had been shoving information into poor Merlin's head. I open the door and he runs in.

"What took you so long?"Morgana asks.

"Sorry." Merlin apologizes, and we all go back to Mordred. "Once Gaius gets talking about anatomy there's no stopping him."

Merlin quickly prepares the remedy and applies it to Mordred's wound. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Morgana asks, uncertain of Merlin's healing abilities.

"I'm doing my best." Merlin says simply.

Morgana nods and stands up. "I'll get you some more water."

Mordred must have spoken to Merlin in his head, because Merlin stops applying the remedy and has a strange look on his face. Mordred and Merlin have their silent conversation before Mordred closes his eyes again. I carefully touched Merlin's arm. "What's wrong?"

"He's speaking inside my head." He whispers, obviously not wanting Morgana to know.

"What? How?" I ask in pretend disbelief.

Merlin shrugs, and turns to Mordred. "Speak to me." Merlin says out loud.

Morgana comes back with the bucket. "I don't know if he _can _speak, or," She says, crouching down again. "He's just scared to."

Merlin just shakes his head and goes back to applying the medicine. Looking between Merlin, and the little Druid boy that I have been loving dearly, I made a decision to speak to the one person that I dreaded Merlin speaking to.

...

After I had told Morgana that I needed to get my sleeping draft from Gaius, I left my chambers and went down to the dungeons where Kilgharrah was. I was smart and grabbed a small torch this time, and went down to the mouth of the cave. "Hello?" I called, looking around for him. I hear a roar from my right and I jump, nearly dropping my torch to the ground. "Do you really have to do that? You scared the hell out of me." I say as Kilgharrah made his way from the right of me to his famous rock. "The young Dimension Traveller. No doubt you are here about the Druid boy as well?"

"Merlin's already been here?" I ask, and Kilgharrah nods.

"Okay, I'll just get to the point. What do I do about Mordred?" I ask, using his name. Kilgharrah knows that I'm not from here and that I would most likely know his name.

"This boy should not be protected." He says.

"Why not? Am I connected to the Druid boy? Why do I feel such a connection, that is just like one Morgana had with him?" I ask Kilgharrah, confused as hell.

"You will find out soon enough." He says, and gets up from his rock, beginning to fly away.

"Hey! Wait!" I called, but he just ignored me and flew away. No good Dragon!

...

Morgana hands me a wet towel and I instantly blot it to Mordred's forehead, trying to cool his fever down. It isn't the most efficient way, but hey, it kinda works. "Let me care for him for a while." Gwen says to us. "You two need to sleep. You'll make yourselves sick if you go on like this."

"His fever's getting worse." Morgana explains, wetting the towel for me again.

"Elizabeth, Morgana." I hear. Morgana and I turn our heads to Mordred. His little voice saying my name was really cute!

"Did you hear that?" Morgana asks.

"What?" Gwen asks.

"He said my name. And Lizzie's too." Morgana says, turning her head to me

I nod. "I heard it."

Gwen shrugs. "That's strange. I didn't hear anything."

A knock on my door, and Merlin's voice comes out. "It's Merlin." He says.

Gwen gets up to go answer the door while Morgana and I continue to care for Mordred. Merlin and Gwen come back, and Merlin asks, "How is he?"

"He's getting weaker and weaker by the hour." I say. "Whatever you did yesterday hasn't worked."

Morgana nods. "We have to ask Gaius for his help." She says, bringing her point back up.

Merlin sighs and scratches his eyebrow. "After all you've done you can't give up now!" Morgana argues. "Please!"

Looks like it's up to me. "If he doesn't recieve treatment he'll die." I say in a pleading voice. And, just as I had planned, Merlin left to go ask Gaius. After he left the room, Morgana turned to me. "How did you do that?"

I chuckle and press the towel to Mordred's head again. "It's called dazzle Morgana. And don't lie, I've seen you use it before too."

...

Merlin returned with Gaius maybe a half hour later. He checked Mordred's vitals. Morgana watched worriedly as Gaius spoke. "I will treat the boy. But as soon as he's well, you must get him out of Camelot."

We all nod in agreement. Gaius unwraps the bandage, and says my favourite line of the episode. "Well, one thing we know for certain."

"What's that?" Merlin asks eagerly.

"You are no physician." Gaius says, turning back towards Merlin. I let a laugh escape, but when Merlin gave me a glare I quickly covered it up as a cough.

...

When Morgana, Merlin, Gwen and I were in the town, we saw some guards stop people to check them. "The Guards are searching everyone leaving the town." Gwen informs us.

"There's another way out." Merlin says. "There's a secret door in the armoury, that leads to the lower town. I'll take the boy out that way."

I shake my head. "No. It's too dangerous." Before I knew what I was saying, I said. "I'll do it."

"I'm good with secret doors and things." Merlin insists.

Morgana shakes her head. "No. I'll do it. I'll go with Lizzie."

"No. It would suspcious if the both of us were caught out of bed. No point in all of us getting in trouble." I say. I turn to Merlin. "I can do it. Uther would execute you if you get caught." Then I turn back to face them all. "The boy was in _my_ chambers, therefore he is my responsibility. I'll smuggle him out of the castle."

"Well, you need a key for the door." Merlin tells me.

"Who has it?" I ask, though I know the answer.

"Arthur." Merlin says.

...

As Merlin is getting the key, Morgana helps get Mordred ready and Gwen helps me get ready. "This is something I have to do." I turn to face Gwen. "I feel like I've put you in danger without even asking you how you felt. I'm sorry."

Morgana nods, standing next to me. "Me too."

"I know how it feels to face the threat of execution. And I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not a child." Gwen explains.

A knock on the door. "It's Merlin." He calls out.

Gwen and Morgana go to open the door, and I go to Mordred and crouch next to him. "We're going to get you out of Camelot. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise." I tell him, ruffling his hair, to which he smiles. Aww, that just killed me right there.

"You ready?" Merlin asks, and I nod, standing up again. I cannot believe that I am actually doing this. What if this is like the show and I get caught? I look to Mordred and his pale blue eyes, an emotion deep in them that shows fear, and I decide that I have to do this. There is no turning back now. "Did you get the keys?" I ask.

"Yeah." Merlin says, holding out the key to me. He takes out the one I need and says, "The door is behing the shield, at the far end of the armoury."

"I'll pack you some food and water for the journey." Gwen offers.

I nod, and Morgana pulls me into a hug. "Be careful." She says.

"I will." I say, smoothing her back. We pull away, and I take Mordred's hand.

I pull my hood up, as does Mordred, and we quietly slip out of my room. I quickly check to make sure that the guards are gone, then I take Mordred's hand again and lead him down the stairs. We're about to continue down when we hear footsteps from guards, so I push him back out of sight. As soon as we know they're gone, we're off again.

We make it to the armoury, and I find the shield with the door. I quickly lift it off, and unlock the door. Then I open it, and help Mordred inside. We make our way outside, when we hear the warning bell.

Oh crap! I have _never_ been in trouble with the law before, and I am not about to start now!

I tug on Mordred's hand and we move faster. Get manage to get into Gwen's house, who hands us a basket. "There is enough food for three days."

Merlin gets our attention. "The horses, fed and watered. I'll take you-"

"No! As I said before, there is no point in all of us risking our necks." I insist.

"But what about you?" Merlin asks, and, to my surprise, puts a hand to my cheek.

I blush, but quickly compose myself when I realize how much trouble we're really in. "I'm the King's Lady. I think I'll take my chances."

"Elizabeth!" Gwen argued.

I roll my eyes and shrug Merlin's hand off. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to either of you. Morgana included." I had told her to stay in the castle so it wouldn't seem as suspicious. To my surprise, she agreed.

"We must go." I say, moving to the door. Mordred and I begin to run to the horses, but we stop dead mid-step when we see a bunch of guards, led by Arthur, of course.

"Crap." I curse. I look around for any other escape, and after I find one, I tug on Mordred's hand, and we run through the doors into a grain storage. We find the darkest corner and huddle down. I cover us with some sort of material just as the doors open. Somebody knocks something over, which cause the both of us to jump. Mordred is more scared than I am, so I pull him closer to me. I carefully peek out and find another exit. Waiting for a chance when I know they're distracted, I grab Mordred's hand and we quickly run to it. We round the corner, but unfortunately, there's a guard already waiting. Mordred squeezes my hand tighter, and I gently squeeze it back to try and reassure him, but honestly, I wasn't even sure myself what would happen. We backed away, and brought Mordred to my chest so that if they wanted him, they would have to get through me. I hear a sword being drawn, Arthur's voice, "Halt or I'll run you through.", and the tip of a blade against my back.

The tip of the sword sends chills down my spine. Hm. Maybe this wasn't the best show to wish myself into.

"Show yourself." He commands.

I take a deep breath. Here goes everything. I squeeze my eyes shut, and slowly turn around. Arthur's eyes widen at the sight of me. I shake my head, "Let him go." I say, and Arthur's eyes travel to Mordred.

"I beg you, he's only a child." I plead. Come on Dazzle! You worked with Merlin, now work with Arthur!

He looks to me, and then to the rest of the guards, then back to me. I know he doesn't want to arrest me, I can tell by the look in his eyes. But the look in his eyes also tell me that he can't appear weak, not even to me. "Restrain them."

I pull Mordred even closer to me (if that's even possible), and the guards grab my arms and drag me away. Trust me, I tried putting up a fight. I made myself as heavy as I could, I dug the heel of my shoes into the ground, but it looked like it didn't even faze these fully grown men. I groan as I'm taken back to the castle. Well, I am in a lot of trouble...

...

"All this time, you have been hiding the boy in my own palace. How could you betray me like this?" Uther asked. I could tell he was trying to keep his anger in check, but it wasn't exactly working.

Morgana and Arthur were there with us, but I had made Morgana promise when we were alone that she wouldn't speak up about helping me hide Mordred. No use in the both of us getting our throats grabbed. "I would not see him executed." I explained.

"I treated you like a daughter. Is this how you repay me?" he asks, coming closer to me.

"I did what I thought was right." I say plainly.

"Do you think it's right to conspire with my enemies against me?" Uther asks, still coming closer.

"How could this child be your enemy, he's just a boy!" I argue, trying to keep my anger down.

"He's a Druid." He said, as if that would explain everything.

"Is that such a crime?" I ask sarcastically.

"His kind would see me dead. this Kingdom return to anarchy and you would help them?" He asks, daring me to answer.

"Then punish me." I say, quickly catching the look that Morgana gave me. "But spare the boy. I beg of you."

While still looking at me, he tells Arthur, "Make arrangements for the boy to be executed tomorrow morning." Uther says, moving to leave.

"No!" I yelled, following him. "Please, he's done nothing wrong!" I plead.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Uther says fiercely.

I finally allow myself to calm down, tears threatening to escape me. "You don't have to do this."

He ignores me and turns to Arthur again. "Do you hear me? I want him executed at dawn."

Arthur reluctantly says, "Yes, father." I can see how much it hurts him to put a young child to death.

Uther goes to leave again, but I don't let him. "What have these people done to you? Why are you so full of hate?" He continues to ignore me. I grab his arm to stop him. "It's because of this that people hate you as King!"

_SMACK!_

Uther's hand goes right across my face, a loud slapping sound echoing throughout the room. "Lizzie!" Morgana cried, and moved to run to me, but Arthur held her back. Uther grabs a hold of my throat. Huh. As if the slap wasn't bad enough! "Enough! I will not hear another word! Do not speak to me until you are ready to apologise for what you've done." He lets go of my neck, but pretty much throws me back. Arthur follows him, purposely avoiding me, and Morgana rushes to me. Morgana brought her hand to where Uther had slapped it, and I jerked back, almost hissing in pain. She brought me into a hug, and started to cry. "I should have spoken up, I should have said something."

I pull away. "No. You shouldn't have. And it's a good thing you didn't. I don't want you in any trouble."

Morgana hugged me again, and brought me back to my chambers, where Merlin shortly joined us after. He immediately sees my stinging red cheek and asks what happened. Morgana quickly explained as I sat down in a chair. "I promised him I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him." I say, letting my tears slip down my cheeks.

Merlin shakes his head. "You can't blame yourself. You tried your best."

I sniffied and stood up, turning to look at Merlin. "It's not enough."

"He's in jail now. There's nothing more we can do." Merlin says.

I shake my head. "I will not let him die. Can I count on your guys' help?" I ask.

Morgana instantly nods, and Merlin hesitates before he finally nods. I go over to my cracked mirror and brought my hand to my blushing red cheek, which looked like it was starting to swell. Morgana came and stood next to me, bringing my hand from my cheek. "I'll get something for that from Gaius." She says, moving to leave.

I catch Merlin's eye in the mirror and I know that we're both thinking the same thing.

We're going to need a miracle to save this kid.

**TBC...**

**Guys, I put off **_**homework**_** for this.**

**Well, ** **at least it's a bit of it.**

**Anyway, tell me what you thought of the Beginning of the End part 1! **

**What do you guys think of Elizabeth's destiny?**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	15. The Beginning of the End part 2

**AN: I'm so glad all of three of you that reviewed liked my story! **

**Seriously guys, I have like thirty six followers, can I get some more reviews? Just a request.**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. ONLY ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

Morgana burst into my chambers. "I told Uther that I helped you."

I groan. "Why did you do that? He never suspected you."

"Because I can't let you take the blame for all of this. I helped you hide the Druid boy."

"But Morgana...you really shouldn't have. What did Uther say?" I ask.

"He yelled at me, and now he won't speak to me until I apologize." She answers.

I roll my eyes. "You are a complete fool."

She smiles and nods. "Yes, but I'm _your_ fool."

...

I needed help, and I think there was only one person I could go to for that help. I had spoken with Morgana about it, and she agreed with me. So I sat down and waited in Arthur's room for him to come back. He eventually did, and sarcastically said. "Make yourself at home."

"This is no time to joke. You can't let Uther execute the boy." I say.

"You're lucky he's not executing you." Arthur says harshly. "Are you telling me he really was behind the screen when I came to search your chambers."

"Reverse psychology." I say, not meeting his eyes and tapping the table in front of me. "It's a doozy, eh?" I sigh. "I know you believe that the execution is too harsh of a sentence for the boy."

"What I believe doesn't matter. My father's made up his mind. He won't be talked out of it. I tried." Arthur said, grabbing a goblet.

I smile a little. "I'm glad to know you tried." I shrugged it off. "Then the time for talking is over." I say, standing up to follow Arthur.

"Whatever you're thinking is not going to happen." Arthur said.

I shake my head. "We have to get the boy back to his people. You know that."

"No. Forget it." Arthur said. I started getting frustrated. I don't understand why I loved Mordred so much, but damn it, since I do, I'm going to save him as best as I can.

"I cannot believe that you'd let an innocent child died." I point out, trying to make him feel bad.

"It's too late." Arthur said. "He's been caught. I have no choice." He says, turning away from me.

"It's never too late. And there are always choices." I say, using what Arthur said in season three. "Is this how you will rule when you are King? Like a pompus jerk?" He turned around, and I went to stand next to him. I gently touched his arm. "You're not like your father."

He shrugged me off. "I will not betray him."

I have to keep trying, so I put my hand back on his arm. "If I know you at all, you will not stand by and let this happen. This Arthur Pendragon," I say, gesturing to him up and down. "Is not the Arthur Pendragon I know."

He turns around from me. "Please." I say. "If you will not do this for the boy," I lean my head on his lean shoulder, surprised that he let me. "Then do it for me."

I can see Arthur smiling from the angle I'm leaning on. Oh, that's right bitches, I won! I break out into a huge smile and couldn't help but spin Arthur around and throw my arms around him. I keep smiling, and whisper in his ear, "Thank you."

"How do you know I said yes?" He asks, lightly hugging me back.

I pull back. "Because this is the Arthur Pendragon I know." I say smugly.

...

I fetched Morgana, and about five minutes later, Merlin came into the room. Morgana, Arthur, and I all turned our heads towards the door.

"Sorry. Was I interrupting something?" Merlin asks.

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with." Arthur told him. "Go make yourself useful. Go muck out my horses."

Merlin's about to leave, but I touch Arthur's arm, which causes him to look at me. I look to Morgana, silently asking her if she's okay with it. She nods, and I turn to Arthur. "We trust Merlin."

Arthur gestures him in, and Merlin walks in. "We're going to break the Druid boy out of the dungeons." Arthur told him.

"You can't do that." Merlin protested.

"We have to." I say.

Morgana nods in agreement. "Uther's gonna execute him at dawn."

"I mean...it's too dangerous. You've already been caught once." He says, pointing at me. "And if the King catches you a second time he will never forgive you." he says, walking farther into the room. "And Morgana, you confessed to the King that you helped Lizzie. He won't forgive you either."

I shake my head. "We're not worried for ourselves."

"Merlin's right." Arthur points out, and Morgana and I whip our head to face him. "When my father finds out the boy's escaped, he will suspect the both of you being involved."

"It's suicide." Merlin said.

"You two must go to my father and apologize. Dine with him. He cannot hold you two responsible if you're with him when the boy escapes."

"You need us if the plan is to work. You can't do this on your own." I say.

Arthur thinks about it, then smiles. "Merlin will take your place."

"Me?" He asks.

"Is there another Merlin in this room?" I ask sarcastically.

Merlin just gives me a look as Arthur stands up to stand next to Merlin. "I'm going to take the boy out through the burial vaults. There's a tunnel that leads beyond the city walls. Get my horse from the stables and meet me there. There's a grate that covers the entrance to the tunnel. Bring a rope and a grappling hook to pull it off."

Merlin starts shaking his head. "No, I can't..."

"Merlin. Do you understand?" Arthur asks firmly. "If you're not there to meet us, we will surely be caught."

"Merlin," I say, getting his attention. He turned to face me. "Please. Do this. If not for the boy, then do it for me. For us." I say, gesturing to Arthur and Morgana.

He has a painful look in his eye, but he nods. Arthur nods, and leaves. I remember something that Kilgharrah mentioned, and I decided to clear something up.

...

I put the torch in front of me to get a better view of Kilgharrah's face. "Why should I not protect the Druid boy?"

"You seek my counsel, and yet you choose to ignore it." He says.

"Not like you give good counsel." I point out sarcastically.

"Just tell me why." I beg.

"If the boy lives, the young Sorcerer and the Once and Future King cannot fulfill their destinies. And you cannot either, in a way." He tells me.

"What's he got to do with _my_ destiny?" I ask, beginning to pace. "I mean, Merlin's and Arthur's I get. But mine I don't. You said my destiny was to use the knowledge that I have at my disposal. But I feel like suddenly, everything I know is wrong. With Mordred, I just felt like I needed to protect him. Protect him from the entire world. Am I connected to the Druid boy? Why do I feel such a connection, that is just like one Morgana had with him?" I ask Kilgharrah, confused as hell.

"In your question, you have your answer." he says cryptically.

I throw my arm that isn't holding the torch to my side. "What does that even mean? "Unless you give me a proper answer as to why I shouldn't protect Mordred, I will continue to protect this boy with all my power."

"That boy is connected to your destiny like a double edged sword. Be careful to choose as to what end you grab. Both have great consquences." He informs me.

"Now what does _that_ mean? You are harder to figure out than the Sunday papers crossword." I say, stomping my foot. "How is he connected to me? _Why_ is he connected to me? And unless you tell me, I will make sure that you spend the rest of your days in this little cave."

"You cannot do that." He says angrily.

I tap the side of my forehead. "I was brought here by _you_ because of my foreshadowing knowledge. Here I am using it." I say smugly. "_Now tell me._" I say furiously, fed up with him.

He sighs, but he can tell that I'm dead serious. "Think of one edge of the sword as the Warlock and the Once and Future King. Think of the other as the Druid boy and the young Witch. You must decide what end to grab." He says, sitting up on his rock.

It takes a minute before it dawns on me. " Wait. Are you telling me, that my destiny either lies with Merlin and Arthur, or Morgana and Mordred?" I ask, disbelieving.

He just gives me a look before standing up on his rock. "Wait! NO! NO! GOD DAMMIT, STOP DOING THAT! IT'S A CAVE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO GO ANYWAY?!" I shout after him. I groan, and made my way back to my chambers. No good, dirty rotten, Dragon!

...

Later, Gwen helps me get ready for the dinner with Uther. Morgana was already ready, so she was sitting in her chambers waiting for me.

Gwen fastened the clasp of my necklace. "Thank you." I say, turning around to face her. Gwen had an unsettling look on her face, so I ask, "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"You and Morgana are risking so much for this boy. You don't know anything about him. You don't even know his name." She says.

That is where you are wrong, my dear sweet Guinevere. "There is a bond between us."

"Stronger than the bond you have with Uther?" she asks.

"It's something that I can't explain. It's nothing that I've ever felt before." I say truthfully. "Perhaps I was meant to help him. Perhaps he's the double edged sword that is my destiny." I say, thinking about what Kilgharrah said.

"How can that be?" she asks.

"I don't know. I told you, I can't explain it. Trust me Gwen, I wish I didn't feel this way. I really do. But there is nothing to stop it now. I'm too far in." I say.

Gwen's about to ask what I mean, I can tell by the look on her face, so I quickly say, "I must go to Morgana. We have to go to Uther."

I turn and leave, but Gwen's voice causes me to pause. "Good luck. To the both of you."

I nod, and leave to Morgana's chambers. We greet each other silently, and we both walk into the dining room. The guards open the door to allow us in. Morgana and I stand at the foot of the table, and I speak up first. "I-we, have come to apologize, my Lord. You have been generous, kind, and fair." I say in a shakey voice. Ooh, yes, I am a good actress! "And I owe you everything. You took me in. What more could I have asked for?" I look down, and a tear slips from my eye. Whoa, am I really that good? "I truly don't know what came over me. It was, a child. You know I have a terrible weakness for them. I acted without thinking of the consequences. My female instincts took over, causing me to act without even being able to comprehend what I was doing. My behaviour truly is unforgivable." More tears slip down my cheeks as I finish. Thank the Merlin Gods for giving me good acting!

Morgana nods. "I was feeling the exact same way my Lord. You took me in as if I was one of your own. My behaviour is also unforgivable."

Uther nods. "I am glad that the two of you have seen sense. Dine with me. Let's put this unfortunate incident behind us." Uther said, clearing his throat.

Morgana and I both smiled at him gratefully, and sat down. Hopefully Arthur and Merlin can get Mordred out of Camelot!

...

As we're finishing up, the warning bell sounds. Well, at least half our plan has worked so far.

"Guards." Uther calls, and the doors open and a guard walks in. "Find out why they have sounded the warning bell."

"Yes, my Lord." He says, and goes off to do as he was told.

Morgana and I just shared secret looks. Merlin had better go! I remembered how he was initially going to let Mordred die. I decide here and now that if he lets Mordred die, then I will never forgive him. Don't ask me why. This whole time with Mordred has changed who I am as a person.

Maybe fifteen mintues later, the Guards walk back in. "My Lord. I regret to report that the Druid boy has escaped from the dungeons."

"What?" Uther asks angrily, clearly outraged. He stands up, and sets his glass down. "How?"

"My Lord, he was assisted by some accomplices. The Guards are searching Camelot as we speak." he answered.

Morgana discreetly looked to me. I can tell in her eyes that she was as relieved as I was that Mordred was making his way out of Camelot.

"Find him, and his accomplices, and kill them." Uther said in a cold, hate filled voice. I try not to vomit my dinner. He would _seriously_ kill a little boy? I shiver at the thought of what he would do if he found out that Arthur was the one to smuggle him out of the castle in the end.

"Yes, my Lord." He answers, and they leave, closing the doors behind them.

Uther then looks to us. "If I discover that you two were somehow involved with freeing this boy, the consequences will be extremely severe." He says in a scarily calm voice. Sometimes I wonder why my parents left me in Uther's custody. He can't even treat his own son right!

I shake my head. "My Lord, you know we respect you too much to ever betray you like that."

Morgana nods. "And we were both with you here all night." She points out.

Uther pretty much ignores what we said. "I made promises to your fathers that I would protect the two of you. But if either of you cross me again, I will break those promises without a second thought."

After a stare down between the three of us, Uther leaves the room. As soon as he does, I let out the huge breath that I had been holding since the guard said that Mordred escaped.

Morgana took my hand and squeezed it excitedly. "We did it, Lizzie. The boy is safe."

I nod. "But at what cost?" I ask. "Uther will not forget this. He will never fully trust us again."

"But what does that matter?" Morgana asks. "We did all this so he would be safe."

"You're right, Morgana. We did. But now it's us that has to face Uther's wrath." I point out.

She shrugs and rolls her eyes. "We have to face his everyday anyway. What makes today different from any other day?"

I think for a minute before I answer. "It's not just our necks on the line." Then I get up, and leave Morgana in the dining room, intending to find somebody who I am pretty sure was just guilt-tripped into doing something.

...

Merlin, for some odd reason, was sitting on the steps of the castle. I made sure to make no sound, and crept behind him. I make sure I'm right behind him before I whisper, "Boo!"

He jumped maybe two feet into the air, and he had a downright terrified expression on his face. I laughed as he calmed down and blushed when he realized that it was just me. "That wasn't funny!" He insisted.

I gather up my skirts and sit next to me. "Not to you, maybe. But to me, it was hilarious."

I play with my hem and looked to him. I quickly look around and leaned ovre to him. "Is the boy gone?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure how far they are, though."

I sigh in relief and bury my face in his shoulder. "Thank God. It was really stressing me out." I pull my face out of his shoulder.

Cold wind blows across my bare arms, and I shiver. "Are you cold?" Merlin asks. I'm protesting, but he's already shrugging his jacket off and draping it over my arms. "Thank you." I say. Then I remembered something that had happened while we were in Arthur's room. "Merlin, can I ask you something?"

He nods. "Go ahead."

"You weren't, you weren't uh, going to skip out on us, were you?" I ask, with a nervous chuckle.

He scrunches his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Damn people here not understanding 21st Century talk. "Well, it just seemed that in Arthur's chambers, it seemed like you were really hesitant to help us with the Druid boy."

He thinks a bit before speaking. "I was just worried about you and Morgana, that's all. If a slap from Uther was what you got the first time, I can't imagine what would happen the next."

I nod. "Yeah. You should have heard him before. He made a promise to my father and to Morgana's that he would protect us. And he, quote, said, 'If I find out that the two of you were somehow involved, I would break that promise without a thought.'" I say in my best Uther impression, which causes Merlin to laugh.

"But did he really say that?" He asked after he stopped laughing, as he went pretty serious.

I nod my head. "Yeah. It was pretty scary too. All I could think about was the relief I felt that the Druid boy was gone and back to his people."

Merlin looked a little torn. I think he was torn between feeling guilty about helping Mordred and something else. I'm not so sure what that other thing was. Guess I'll never find out.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." I say, standing up and straightening my dress. It's been a very long, and very stressful day, and I feel like my bed is the best place to let that all go."

He laughs. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."

I smile, then do something that surprised him. I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Merlin. And thank you. Very much." I say, then walk back up the steps and into the castle. Halfway down the hall, I realized that I still had Merlin's jacket on me. When I went back to return it, he was already gone. So I just decided to give it back to him in the morning. I mean, it's the only jacket I've ever seen the guy wear. He deserves to have it back. And after all he did for me too. I mean, Merlin could have ignored Mordred's pleas. He could have ignored it. But he didn't.

And that's what I'm grateful for.

Which I am still confused as to why I felt grateful. But one of these days, oh one of these days, I'll figure it out.

I mean, I do have a lot of them left in Camelot. I think things are going to get even more interesting than they already are.

Let's just hope that I'm ready for it.

**TBC...**

**Yay for finishing! **

**Then it's Excalibur, which will be a very quick chapter. You know, kinda like how a Remedy to Cure All Ills was?**

**Yeah, Excalibur wasn't my favourite, either. But then it's the one with Merlin's hometown! Which I am really excited for, actually. **

**Guys, do you realize how close we're getting to the finale? Eeep, I'm so excited!**

**I am also going to begin to write a collaboration Doctor Who story called Charlene, Charlene Who? With my fellow Author and Friend Damon's Charlene. So if you are a fan of Doctor Who and a fan of Damon's Charlene's stories, check it out! Our minds working together should be interesting...**

**Elizabeth's Outfits on Polyvore! (I keep forgetting to mention it!)**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUES...**

A dusty metal hand pops out in front of Nimueh, and she smiles.

"Tristan's tomb is empty." Gaius's voice says as he leans over the empty tomb.

"Dead men do not return." Uther Pendragon's voice said as everybody clapped for Arthur Pendragon at his coming-of-age ceremony.

Elizabeth Malinor screamed as she jumped back to avoid the glass that had been broken when a Knight on a Horse had broken in through it.

The Knight threw his glove in front of Arthur, as an act of challenge. "Single Combat. To the death." He said, and his horse whined.

Merlin and Elizabeth watch nervously as two men fought. The Black Knight dug his sword into the dirt.

"I believe he's been conjured from the dead." Gaius says.

"This will be your death." Uther tries to explain to Arthur.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but your father is right. If you fight this Knight you will die. I don't know if you've noticed, but he just can't seem to die!" Elizabeth exclaims, trying to talk Arthur out of fighting.

Merlin runs down the steps, Elizabeth at his heels. "I need to find a weapon that will kill the dead." Merlin explained to Kilgharrah.

Using magic, Merlin holds up the sword for Kilgharrah to breathe on as he tried to cover Elizabeth from the heat and smoke of the flames.

Merlin and Elizabeth both look at the gleaming sword in awe.

Elizabeth covered her ears as Kilgharrah screamed, "NO!"

**That's the preview! Stay tuned for Excalibur!**


	16. Excalibur

**AN: I got hate again.**

**Again, it was really hurtful. What I don't understand, is why don't people have the balls to get off of guest? I mean, you wanna insult my story, go ahead, but don't be so much of a pussy that you don't wanna hear a retaliation. And if you don't like it, fine. Was there really a reason for you to tell me? I mean, other than giving yourself some sort of macho man bravado. I am proud of this story. That's really all there is to it. So wonderful anon, screw you.**

**To those of you who like Elizabeth, here you go!**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. ONLY ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

Tonight was the night of Arthur's coming of age ceremony. Tonight, he would be the official crown Prince of Camelot. Even though he was already the Prince of Camelot...yeah I don't get it either. And I've been here for quite a while. 8 episodes to be exact.

Arthur is kneeling in front of Uther at the front of the room. "Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this Kingdom and its dominions according to the statutes, customs, and laws laid down by your forebears?"

"I do, Sire." He says.

I look over to Merlin, who actually looks a littlr proud. "Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgements?" Uther asks. Which is clearly something you haven't done, I might add.

"I do, Sire." Arthur repeats.

"And do you swear allegiance to Camelot, now and for as long as you shall live?" Uther asks, holding a staff thing in front of Arthur.

Arthur takes a hold of it. "I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service, and to the protection of the Kingdom and its peoples."

I have to hold in a huge smile. I was really happy for him! Now all I need is for Morgana not to try and steal his throne!

Somebody brings the crown on a pillow to Uther, who takes it off of the pillow. "Now being of age and heir apparent, from henceforth, you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot." Uther announces, placing the crown on Arthur's head.

And the whole room bursts into applause. Now I just let my smile break out, though I monitor the size of it.

All of a sudden, the huge window in the room shatters, and a Knight on a horse breaks through into the room. Arthur and the rest of the Knights draw their swords.

"What in the devil's name?" Uther asked.

The Knight made his horse move forward, and everybody made room for it to move forward. Idiots, someone slay it already!

I can't see from behind the Knight in front of me, so I just roll my eyes and push myself to the front.

Arthur looks at me in disbelief. "Elizabeth! Get back!"

I shake my head and whisper, "No!"

He gives up when the Black Knight reaches us. He takes his glove off, and throws it in front of Arthur as an act of challenge. Arthur puts his sword away and is about to reach down to grab it, but Sir Owain beat him to it. "I, Sir Owain, accept your challenge."

No! He was the cute one!

"Single Combat. Noon tomorrow. To the death." He said, and his horse whined.Then he turned around and left the way he came, except it wasn't in slow motion.

...

Morgana, Gwen, and I were with Arthur later, who was furious about what happened. "He shouldn't have picked up the gauntlet!"

I walk closer to him. "Then put an end to it!"

Arthur looks really pained when he says this next part. "The challenge has been taken up. The fight cannot be stopped."

"Then fight in his place." Morgana suggests.

I turn my head to her. "He can't."

"Why not?" Morgana asks.

"Owain picked up the gauntlet. Owain is the one who must fight. That is the Knight's Code." I explain to her.

"How do you know?" Arthur asks.

Yikes! Wait, I got this. "I have a lot of spare time. I like to read."

Arthur nods. "Either way, Elizabeth's right. And Owain knew that."

"But it's a still a fight to the death." I protest.

Arthur moves to leave, but stops. "I know." He said, and actually left this time.

Morgana, Gwen, and I all exchanged looks of worry.

...

Later in the stands, I had found out from Morgana that she had sent Gwen to give Owain a token of good luck. I gently squeezed her hand in comfort.

"The fight shall be to the knight's rules. To the death." Arthur says reluctantly. As soon as Arthur said, "Let battle commence.", they were fighting.

Although it has been a while since I watched a swordfighting competiton, I can't say that I've missed it. Especially since this one was a fight to the death.

It seemed that the Black Knight was only aiming for Owain's shield. I winced every time that it was hit. Hey. It was a pretty loud noise.

It seemed like Owain was losing, and I swear I heard Gwen whisper, "Come on Owain."

Owain got kicked to the ground, and I couldn't help the gasp that had escaped me. I really don't think I'll be able to handle watching this death. Owain was a really sweet guy. I've talked with him a couple times, and he was the one that helped teach me how to sword fight when I had asked for lessons. Well, 'more practice' as I had put it, since I was supposed to have had practice when I was younger.

He quickly got up, and they were fighting on two feet again. "One well aimed blow!" Arthur yelled.

Probably five seconds after he'd said it, Owain stabbed the Black Knight right in the chest.

Everybody else looked relieved, but that relief turned to horror when everybody realized that that stab had done nothing to faze the Knight at all.

They kept fighting, and Owain was knocked to the ground again. The Black Knight raised his sword for the death blow...

And I couldn't help it. I turned away from the horror that was going on in front of me. I covered my eyes and everything. Once I heard everyone gasp, I knew it was over. Like I mentioned before, they didn't show blood on the show. But they certainly showed blood here.

The Black Knight threw his glove on the ground and said, "Who will take up my challenge?"

Uther had to literally hold Arthur back so that he wouldn't pick up the glove. Sir Pellinor leaped from the stands and picked the glove up. "I, Sir Pellinor, take up the challenge."

What I don't understand is why don't people just ignore the guy?

"So be it." The Black Knight said. Then he locked his gaze with Uther before leaving.

...

I made my way into Gaius's chambers, where Merlin and Gaius were. "Please tell me I am not the only one who saw the Black Knight get hit."

Merlin nods. "I saw it too."

"Then what is he? He should be dead." I say.

"We found out that he is Tristan Dubois. He was the brother of Ygraine, Uther's wife." Gaius explains, and by the look on Merlin's face, it was just being explained to him too.

"Arthur's mother?" I ask.

"Ygraine died in childbirth. He blamed Uther and came to the gates of Camelot and challenged him." Gaius said as he grabbed a big book from one of the tables in his room.

"To single combat." Merlin asked, drawing the conclusion.

"Uther won. But in his dying breath, Tristan cursed Camelot to one day suffer his return. I thought it was the rambling of a dying man." Gaius said.

"Men don't just rise up from the dead though, no matter how angry they are." I point out, stealing Merlin's line.

Gaius, who was flipping through the book, stopped on a page. "It's my guess that we're dealing with a wraith."

"A wraith?" Merlin repeated.

"The spirit of a dead man conjured from the grave." Gaius explained.

"So this is the work of a sorcerer." I deduced.

"Powerful magic can harness the grief and rage of a tormented soul and make it live again." Gaius tells us.

"How do we stop it?" Merlin asks.

"We can't. Because it's not alive, no mortal weapon can kill it." Gaius says.

"Surely there must be something." Merlin insists.

"Nothing can stop it until it has achieveed what it came for." Gaius said.

"And what's that?" I ask.

"Revenge." Gaius informs us.

Merlin and I exchange looks of worry. "On Camelot?"

"What does that mean for Sir Pellinor?" Merlin asks Gaius.

"I'm afraid it doesn't look good." Gaius says.

"Sir Owain." I whisper, and Gaius and Merlin look to me. "Sir Owain didn't even stand a chance." Then I left. Morgana, I knew really cared for Sir Owain, so I knew that she needed comforting right now.

...

Sir Pellinor and Tristan were fighting the next day. This time, everybody saw when Pellinor clearly stabbed Tristan. And this time, everybody saw how it clearly didn't faze him.

"I saw the blade go in, I'm sure of it." Morgana says to me. I nod. "I did too."

Not seconds later, Tristan used Pellinor's stunned reaction to finish him off. I looked away again. I don't think I'll ever get used to people dying.

This time, before Uther could stop him, Arthur threw down his glove in front of Tristan. "I, Arthur Pendragon, challenge you."

I'm pretty sure everybody in the stands was looking at Arthur in disbelief. "So be it." Tristan said.

"Single combat. Noon tomorrow." Please don't say to the death, please don't say to the death. And Arthur stopped there. Thank God. But I still knew that he would try to kill him.

...

I burst into Arthur's chambers right after, surprised that Merlin wasn't with him. "Are you stupid? Why did you challenge him?"

He stopped whatever he was doing. "Of course you can come in Elizabeth."

I roll my eyes. "Just answer the question."

"He killed two of my Knights. Two very worthy Knights." He explained.

I calm down. "While the losses of Sir Owain and Sir Pellinor were great, that doesn't mean you throw yourself into the fire. You're father isn't going to let you fight." I say.

"Well, that's just too bad." Arthur said.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but your father is right. If you fight this Knight you will die. I don't know if you've noticed, but he just can't seem to die!" I exclaim. Trying to talk Arthur out of fighting was harder than it looked.

"Well, what am I supposed to do Elizabeth?" He asked me. "I can't withdraw from the challenge, and I do not wish too."

I take a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for barging in. And I'm also sorry that you are a complete fool." I snap, then I turn on my heel and stalk off.

...

"You were right." Merlin says as he paces the room.

"I wish I wasn't." Gaius said.

"Arthur fights that thing, he'll die." I say.

"He is Camelot's strongest warrior. If anyone can defeat it, he can." Gaius says.

"But that's just the problem Gaius, it won't be defeated. It won't die." I say.

Merlin nods in agreement. "And you said it yourself, no mortal weapon can kill it. Which means we have to find a way to defeat the wraith ourselves."

"How do you propose to do that?" Gaius asks.

"If no mortal sword can kill it," Merlin says, and goes and fetches his magic book. "Then I will." He starts leafing through it. "With Mortal magic."

"Merlin, it's too dangerous." Gaius says.

"We don't have a choice." Merlin replies.

...

I was walking in the castle late that night when I heard voices coming from the throne room. I quickly looked around to check if anyone was there, and I quickly and quietly moved towards the door. I leaned my head against the doors, and pressed my ear to it.

"Soon Arthur will be slain. You will have sent him to his death." Nimueh's voice said from inside.

"Haven't you tired of revenge?" Uther asks.

"Haven't _you_?" She retorted. "You began this war when you threw me from the court and slaughtered all of my kind."

"You brought it on yourselves, you practiced magic." Uther said.

"I was your friend, Uther!" Uther being friends with a sorceress? Unheard of. "You welcomed me here!"

"You betrayed that friendship." Uther stated.

"I did as you asked!" Nimueh exclaims. "I used the magic you so despise to give your barren wife the son you craved."

"Don't ever speak of her that way!" Uther proclaims. "She was my heart, my soul. And you took her from me."

It actually hurt to think about how much Uther loved Ygraine, and how much Uther used to care about other people other than Arthur, and that wasn't shown very often. "She died giving birth to _your _son." Nimueh points out. "It was not my choice. That is the law of magic. To create a life, there had to be a death. The balance of the world had to be repaid."

"You knew it would kill her!" Uther accuses.

"No, you're wrong! If I had foreseen her death, and the terrible retribution you would seek...I would have never granted your wish." Nimueh states.

"I wish you hadn't." Uther said eventually.

"You wish you didn't have a son?" Nimueh asks, part disbelief and part confusion. "Well, your wish will come true tomorrow."

"I will not let you take him." Uther said sternly.

"I have watched so many people I love die at your hands, Uther Pendragon. Now it is your turn." she says.

And that's the last voice I hear from the room. I hear footsteps in the hall, so I quickly hide behind a banister so nobody would see me. Turns out it was a couple of guards just passing through.

I'm about to leave again when I hear the doors open, and Uther steps out. This is probably the part where he goes to tell Gaius that he was planning on taking Arthur's place in the fight. As soon as I'm certain that he's gone, I get up and move to walk away. I turn the corner, and I run into Merlin, who dropped the sword he was carrying. "Liz? What are you doing awake?" He whispered.

"Just, going for a walk. Couldn't sleep." I quickly lie. He nods, and leaves. I frown. "Hey!" I whisper angrily, and follow him. "Where are you going?" I ask.

"Does it matter?" He whispers.

"Yes. I want to come." I say.

"Sorry Lizzie, you can't." He said.

"And why not? You're not going to stop me." I say, grabbing on his arm. He looked from my hand on his arm to my face, but rolls his eyes and sighs in defeat. "All right, but we have to be quick." He grabs my hand, and we walk quickly. Like, almost a run.

He lets go of my hand to grab a torch, and we keep walking. We go down the stairs to where the Dragon was. I pretend to look around myself, confused. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"Just trust me." He answers, and we keep going down the stairs.

We enter the cave, and Kilgharrah's there, sitting on his rock. "Merlin." he says when he sees him. Then he notices me. "And you've brought a guest." He said, as if he didn't know who I was. I guess that was good. Him knowing who I was would be a little difficult to explain to Merlin.

"She's a friend of mine." Merlin explains, and he gets down to business. "Do you know why we're here?"

"It may surprise you, Merlin, but my knowledge of your life is not universal." Kilgharrah says sassily.

"It's to do with Arthur. His life's in danger." Merlin explains.

"Isn't it always?" I mutter under my breath. But Merlin heard me, and nudged me lightly.

"He will die, unless I can make a weapon that will kill the dead." Merlin says, taking out the sword.

"So what do you come to ask of me?" Kilgharrah asks.

Merlin uses his magic to move the sword right in front of Kilgharrah, and he stands up. "Will you burnish it, to save Arthur?"

"The dead do not return without reason." Kilgharrah states. "Who has he come for?"

"Uther." I pipe up, probably the first time I've spoken since I got here.

"Then let him take his vengeance and the wraith will die without my aid." Kilgharrah says.

"But it's Arthur who's going to fight him. You have to save him." Merlin insists.

"That is _your_ destiny, young warlock, not mine." he says.

"But if Arthur fights the wraith and dies, Camelot will have no heir!" Merlin says, though Camelot does have one other heir..."I will have no destiny."

Kilgarrah waits a moment. For what, I have no idea. "A weapon forged with my assistance will have great power."

"I know." Merlin says.

"You do not know. You can only guess." Kilgharrah puts in. "You have not seen what I have seen. If you had, perhaps you would not ask this of me."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"In the wrong hands, this sword could do great evil." He says. "It must be wielded by Arthur, and him alone."

"I understand." Merlin says.

"You must do more than understand." The Dragon says. "You must promise."

"I promise." Merlin says, nodding his head.

Kilgharrah turns his head to me. "You are here to witness this promise."

I nod. "Okay, sure. Just, do what you gotta do."

Kilgharrah moves back a little, and so do Merlin and I. He lifts up his jacket and uses it to help shield us. Then, Kilgharrah breathes fire onto the sword. I try not to dance. I am watching the birth of Excalibur. How exciting is this?

When Kilgharrah is done, the sword is gleaming. "Heed my words." Kilgharrah reminds us. "The sword was forged for Arthur, and him alone."

...

A sleeping draft would help me get to sleep, so I go to Gaius's chambers to get one. When I get there, he's about ready to leave. "Oh sorry, I didn't realize you were busy." I say, and am about to leave. I think I can deal with nightmares tonight.

"No, Liz. What did you need?" Gaius asks.

"Well, I wanted a draft. I've been having some troubled nights. But I think I'll be fine." I say, then I move to leave.

"Wait. I can get you your draft." He says, and he goes to get it for me.

I wait around. "Where were you going?" I asked.

"Nothing. I was just going to give Arthur something for the night." He responds.

"I could give it to him." I suggest. "I'll be passing his chambers, anyway."

"No, it's all right. I can do it." Gaius says.

"No really. I can do it." I insist.

He sighs. "This is a special medication for Arthur. It's supposed to knock him out."

"Knock him out? Why would you want to do that?" I ask, although I know the answer.

"Uther is going to take Arthur's place tomorrow." Gaius answers.

"What?" I ask in fake disbelief.

"The wraith is after Uther. Uther believes that with his death the wraith will die as well." Gaius explains.

"But Arthur will never let that happen. You saw how he wouldn't back down." I state.

"That," Gaius says, holding up a small vial. "Is what this is for." I take it out of his hand. "This will render Arthur unconscious. It might not seem like much, but it will keep Arthur knocked out long enough for the battle to happen." He says.

"And if he wakes up before it?" I ask.

Gaius slips me a key. "If he does, he won't get far." Then he holds out my draft. I take it out of his hand. "Thank you. Goodnight." And with that, I leave for Arthur's chambers.

...

I take a deep breath before I knock on the door. "Come in." Arthur's voice said.

I carefully open the door. "It's me."

He comes over from the window. "What is it you want? Come to scream at me about how much of an idiot I am?"

"No." I say, looking down at my hands. "I've come to apologize. Yelling at you wasn't going to solve anything. I guess it just let go of all the worry that I felt. But it was wrong to yell at you and I'm sorry."

He nods. "I accept your apology."

I sigh. "Good." I hold up the vial, and hold it out to him. "Gaius says it'll help you sleep better. Get you through the night."

He puts my hand down. "I'm fine. I don't need it."

"Really? You really want to be off your game, especially tomorrow? It could be because of lack of sleep that makes you feel sluggish that gets you killed. It'll help you to relax." I say.

Arthur gives me a look, but eventually takes it out of my hand. I watch anxiously as he takes the cork out to drink it. After he does, he makes a face and hands the vial back to me. "I wouldn't drink it for pleasure."

I put it down on his table. "Why don't you sit down for a minute?" I say, gesturing to his bed. Gaius is right, and according to the episode, Arthur could plunk any second now.

He lets me lead him to his bed. This situation might actually have been good if it were of a different context. "Mind you," He said as I lead him there. "If you forget about the taste, the after-effect is quite...pleasurable."

"Of course it is." I say as I sit him down on his bed. I grab his shoulders and push him down. "Just lie down for now." And before I know it, he's gone. I let out a breath and crash my head against the pillow. I pull my head out, and took a second to look at him. Sleeping, he looked just like an angel. But hang on, his hair looked kinda disleveled. I leaned over to fix it, and ended up brushing his hair back a couple times. "Man, I hope you don't hate me when you wake up." I pull back and leave the room.

Using the key Gaius gave me, I used it to lock him in. If this all goes like it does in the episode (which it normally does), then Arthur doesn't have anything to worry about.

...

The next day was the day of the fight. I sat with Morgana and Gwen in the stands. Uther eventually came out, and I frowned when I noticed the familiar gleam of Excalibur. Well, it's the only sword that can kill the dead. "You can have what you came for." Uther tells Tristan. Tristan turns his head to him. "The father, not the son."

Morgana looks over to me, and she's confused as hell by the look on her face. I briefly look over to her, then back to the front. A guard takes off Uther's cape, and he puts on his helmet. Seconds later, the fight commences. I have a feeling I'm going to get sick of them sooner or later.

They've been fighting for maybe five minutes, and I start to get bored. Yeah, so it's a fight to the death. They kinda lose thier excitement after the second one you've seen. I let my eyes wander aimlessly, but then they lock with Arthur's who has woken up and looks severely pissed off. As fast as I looked at him I looked away. There certainly will be hell to pay.

More sword clashing and punching and kicking. Uther manages to knock Tristan's helmet off, which makes everyone gasp. Tristan's true face is revealed as he roars, and makes everyone in the stands gasp again.

More sword clashing, and Uther falls to the ground, dropping his sword. Now all he's doing is blocking Tristan's hits with his shield.

One huge hit causes everyone to gasp, but they're all fine once they realize that Tristan's sword was lodged in the shield, and not in Uther.

After a small round of tug of war, Uther lets go of the shield and kicks Tristan back in the process. While Tristan is trying to take his sword out of the shield, Uther uses that moment to his advantage to grab Excalibur and stab Tristan right through the chest. There's a small explosion, and the force of it knocks Uther back.

We're all staring in awe as Tristan literally bursts into flames. Probably sometime during the fight, Morgana had grabbed my hand and was squeezing it tightly. I only realized it because she had let go of her grip, leaving my hand red.

Uther stands up, and takes his helmet off in victory. Everybody, including me, stands up and we all applaude and cheer for him. Uther drops the sword to the ground, and I look to Merlin, who was looking very worried. I know he was worried because of what Kilgharrah had said about Arthur being the only one who was to use the sword. All I was worried about was how angry Arthur would be at me. Let's hope I can hide from him. It _is_ a pretty big castle, after all...

...

I was on my way to Morgana's chambers later that day when I heard Arthur's voice from behind me. "Elizabeth!"

"Crap." I whisper. Louder, I call, "Hi, Arthur. Bye, Arthur!" Then try to make a run for it.

"Don't even try." He said. He was already beside me. I grit my teeth and hold my arms out. "Lay it on me. Let me have it."

"Have what?" Arthur asked confused.

"How I shouldn't have drugged you, how it was wrong." I say.

He shakes his head. "Was this your way of getting back at me?"

This time it's me that's confused. "Get back at you for what? Did you do something?"

"When I wouldn't believe you about Sophia Tirmawr. Is this your way of getting back at me?" He asks.

"Getting back at you?" I ask in disbelief. "I drugged you because you happen to be a very important person. To Uther, to Camelot."

"Any other reason?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

"What? What's that smile for?" I ask.

"You might have thought that I was asleep. But I felt your hand on my head." He said smugly.

Crap! I knew that was going to come back to haunt me! I blush. "There was something in your hair, I was trying to get it out."

"Mmhm, what exactly was in my hair that took so long to get out?" He asked.

"A...a spider." I finally offer.

He gives me a look. "Elizabeth, you are terrified of spiders. You'd rather drink an entire gallon of pure alcohol than touch a spider."

I roll my eyes. "Did this conversation have a point? 'Cause Morgana is expecting me." I say, pointing towards her door.

"I just wanted to say, that I understand why you had to drug me. And that I don't hate you for it." He says. Then he obviously heard what I said.

"Good. Glad that's all cleared up." I say, then move to leave.

"Oh, and Elizabeth?" He says, getting my attention.

I turn around. I thought we were done talking! "Yes?"

He smiles at me, which sends butterflies into my stomach. "Just know that I could never hate you." And then he leaves.

The butterflies don't leave until much later. The things that man does to me!

...

_"Noo!" _A voice roars in my head.

I flash my eyes open and sit up, gasping. Merlin must have gone to Kilgharrah about Excalibur already, since I'm pretty sure the voice I heard in my was his. I regain my breath for a second, then lay back down on my pillow. I carefully shut my eyes, and pray that the sleeping draft Gaius gave me would actually help tonight...

**TBC...**

**So Excalibur is done! Funny, it seems the more I watch this episode, the more I like it.**

**Either way, the Moment of Truth is next! Guys, I am so intensely excited for that episode! **

**Elizabeth's outfits on Polyvore!**

**Until next time,**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUES...**

Kanin's men invade into Ealdor on horses.

Hunith, Merlin's mother, is hit, and falls to the ground.

"I'm going back to Ealdor." Merlin says.

Merlin and a young man greet each other with smiles and hugs.

"If you used your magic, then no one else would have to die." The same young man tells Merlin.

"I don't know why you call yourself a man. You're not brave enough to be one, especially one who fights for what they believe in!" Elizabeth yells at the young man.

Elizabeth, Merlin, and the young man were all standing together. "There's too many!" The young man said.

"If it comes to a choice between saving people's lives and revealing who I really am, there is no choice." Merlin tells his mother.

"You can't let Arthur know about your gift." Hunith insists.

Merlin's eyes flash gold as he conjures up the windstorm...

**Okay, so that's not how the actual preview ends, but I didn't really know how to put it in there without sounding like Arthur was staring right at Merlin as he was using his magic. Anyways, next up, The Moment of Truth!**


	17. The Moment of Truth part 1

**AN: Hey guys!**

**Don't you guys love how excited I was for this episode, and now here I am, almost 2 weeks later.**

**ANYWAYS YAY I'M EXCITED FOR THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. I AM ALSO VERY EXCITED BECAUSE WE'RE CLOSE TO THE END OF THE FINALE! **

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN MERLIN, JUST ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

Merlin's mother stood in front of Uther and the rest of the Royal Court. She was appealing to Uther because of the guy Kanen. Seems like the Moment of Truth has begun...

"The winters are harsh in Ealdor, and there are many children." Hunith says. "Some of them just won't be strong enough to survive. We barely have enough food as it is, and if Kanen takes our harvest, our children won't live to see another summer. Please, we need your help."

The thought of starving children sends a pang through my chest. I try to picture Mordred like that, but instantly shoot the thought away.

Uther thinks for a moment. "Ealdor's in Cenred's kingdom. Your safety is his responsibility."

"We've appealed to our King." She answers. "But, he cares little for the outlying regions. You're our only hope."

Uther leans forward in his throne. "I have the deepest sympathy for you and would have this barbarian wiped off the face of the earth."

"You'll help us?" Hunith says, hoping sparking in her.

"I wish I could." Uther says.

"Surely we can spare a few men." Arthur suggests.

"Resources are not the problem." Uther tells him.

"Then what is?" I ask.

"Ealdor lies beyond the ridge of Aesctir. For an army of Camelot to enter it would be an act if war." Uther informs her.

Hunith actually goes to her knees. "I know you're a good King, a caring man. I'm begging you-help us, please." she pleads.

Uther reluctantly shakes his head. "The accord we've struck with Cenred was years in the making. I cannot risk hundreds of lives for the sake of one village. I'm afraid Camelot cannot help."

Morgana gives Uther a glare, and goes to help Hunith stand up. Then she leads her back to Merlin, and the court adjourned.

Later, Morgana pulled me and Gwen aside. "I can't let this go by. Merlin told me that he was leaving for Ealdor, and I can't let him go alone." She says.

I nod in agreement. "Merlin's always been there for us. It's our turn to be there for him now."

"Okay. I can get some weaponary." Gwen offers.

"All right then. Let's get ready." Morgana says, and we all go our separate ways to get ready.

...

Morgana and I had met up after we had gotten ready, and we caught the last bit of what Merlin had said. "I won't be able to carry all that."

Morgana and I walked in then. "You won't have to." She said to him.

I nod. "We're coming with you."

"What do you mean?" He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"You need all the help you can get." Gwen reminds him. "I can mend armour and sharpen swords."

"And Lizzie and I know how to fight." Morgana says, nudging me. Uh, yeah, I only know how to fight a little bit, but I have gotten much better with Owain's help...

"But you...you can't." Merlin said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "I mean, why would you?"

"If it was the other way round, you'd help us." Gwen tells him. "You already have. You saved my life."

"And you helped Morgana and I get the Druid boy out of Camelot." I reminded him.

Morgana nods. "We owe it to you. The three of us."

Merlin nods, and he goes to pack more of his stuff. Then Morgana, Gwen, and I continue to pack stuff.

...

A little while later, Gwen, Morgana and I rode off for Ealdor with Merlin and his mother. We kept riding until it got dark, and then we stopped for dinner. After we ate, we decided to go to sleep. Merlin and Hunith were still up as I fell asleep. I woke up maybe twenty minutes later due to their talking. I'm about to try and fall asleep again, when I heard Hunith. "They shouldn't be here. Especially the Lady Morgana and the Lady Elizabeth. Isn't Lady Morgana the King's Ward and Lady Elizabeth the Lady of Camelot?"

"Not that you'd know it." Merlin answers. "They're the only people I know who aren't frightened of him.

"It won't make any difference to Kanen that they're women." Hunith points out.

"I know." Merlin says. "But I couldn't talk them out of coming. Especially Lizzie. Ever since she found out that I had magic-"

A smacking sound, and a moan from Merlin. "Why did you tell her? She's a part of the King's Court!" Hunith angrily whispers.

"She figured it out on her own. And she hasn't told anybody yet." Merlin tells her.

Hunith I could tell, was still pretty angry, but I could tell she calmed down a little. She can't exactly blow up at him about his magic while we were all asleep. "Can you trust her?" she asks.

"I would trust Elizabeth with my life." Merlin says, which can't help but make me smile. It's really pleasing to know how much he trusts me.

Then Merlin's tone changes. "I'm going to make him pay for what he did to you."

"Promise me you'll be careful." Hunith pleads. "No one can find out about you."

"They won't. They never do. Well, usually, but mine and Lizzie's situation was an usual one." Merlin said, defending himself.

Hunith chuckles lightly. "I look forward to hearing that situation. Get some rest."

Huinth comes over, and I quickly shut my eyes to make it look like I was actually asleep the entire time.

I did fall asleep eventually. However, I was woken up a little later by the sound of Merlin leaving. God, his footsteps are loud! After not being able to fall asleep again, I get up, grab my blanket, and sat on a log in front of the fire. I draped my blanket over my shoulders.

I was awake when Merlin came back with Arthur. They both looked surprised to see me awake. "What are you doing awake?" Merlin asks.

I shrug. "Couldn't sleep. Merlin walks as if he's leading a parade." I tease, which causes Merlin to blush. You can't really see it in the darkness, but it was there. Merlin and Arthur sit on either side of me.

"How much further is it?" Arthur asks.

"Maybe a few hours." Merlin answers.

"Well how many men does Kanen have?" I ask worriedly.

Merlin shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I think from what my mother said, maybe as many as 40."

Arthur nods, and is silent for a while. Then he speaks up again. "You two should get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

I turn my head to Merlin. "As long as you promise not to move while I'm sleeping, I'll be good."

He blushes shyly again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

I just lightly punch in his arm. "I'm just jesting. Goodnight, you two."

I lie back down, and I hear Merlin's voice. "Thank you. Um...I know you didn't have to come."

"Get some sleep." Arthur says. Then it's silent, and I wait a few minutes for it to be entirely silent. I smile to myself and finally fall asleep.

...

The next morning, we were off to Ealdor. Of course the first thing that's going on is Kanen attacking the village.

This is the thing. I haven't actually been in a huge sword fighting scene before, so I was pretty nervous. But I was also really excited.

Kanen had knocked Matthew to the ground, and Arthur threw a knife that just missed him, burying itself into the pole next to him. Kanen's head swivels, and Arthur jumps off of his horse, and begins to fight.

"Kill them!" Kanen commanded his men.

I grab my sword from its sleath and and turned around with it. Somebody ran towards me, and I squealed, swinging my sword in front of me. I surprised myself when it clashed hard with the man's sword. I quickly drew it back and swung again. This time, I got flesh, which was really gross. I pulled my sword out, and the man fell to the ground.

Wow. I just actually killed somebody. I had no time to dwell on it further because more of them came towards me. I just did what my instincts told me, which was pretty much just swing my sword around. My instincts proved to be good ones, as they were extremely effective.

I look around me, and I see a bandit going behind Arthur. Knowing that he'd need help and there was not a Morgana in sight, I ran over and dealt with the bandit myself. We clashed swords for a while, until I got him in the stomach. I turned around, looked to Arthur. I loved this line in the show, so I couldn't resist using it. "Bring back memories of when I used to beat you?" I ask, moving away.

Arthur looked a little panicky. "That never happened." He said a little nervously. Ha! I used to beat Arthur in sword fights! Awesome!

"You'll pay for this...with your lives. All of you!" Kanen yelled, and him and the bandits that survived fleed.

I turn around to look for Merlin and find him with Will, his best friend from Ealdor. I just catch the last of what Will's saying. "Look I thought I told you we didn't want your kind round here."

Then him and Merlin burst into laughter and hugged. I came and stood next to them. "What's wrong with Merlin's kind? He's a fine warlock to me."

Will's eyes open widely. "You told her?"

Merlin shrugged. "She figured it out on her own."

"I'm just really observant." I supply for Will.

Will and Merlin then ignore me, and they give each other big hugs. "It's good to see you again."

Will nods. "How have you been? I hear you're skivvying for some prince."

Merlin scoffs and shakes his head. "No, I wouldn't say I'm a skivvy."

"Merlin!" Arthur calls, and he turns around. "Gather the villagers, I need to talk to them."

"Yeah, in a minute, I'm just talking..." Merlin says, gesturing to Will.

"Now, Merlin! There isn't much time." Arthur insists.

"Yes, Sire." Merlin says reluctantly.

Merlin gives Will an apologetic look, then goes to get the villagers. I turn my head to Will, and say, "Oh yeah, he's a skivvy." I say, then leave to go stand with Morgana and Gwen.

Everybody had gathered around by that time, and Arthur stood on a box or something so he could see the entire crowd and the entire crowd could see him. "I know Kanen's kind. He'll be back, and when he is, we must be ready for him. First of all, we have to prepare..."

"Am I the only one wondering who the hell this is?" Will asks rudely, pushing himself to the front of the crowd. Ugh, I had forgotten that this was why I hated Will.

It doesn't faze Arthur, though. "I'm Prince Arthur of Camelot."

Will scoffs. "And I'm Prince William of Ealdor."

"Keep quiet, he's here to help us!" Hunith says to Will.

"He's made things worse." Will insists. "Kanen will be back, and when he is, he'll be looking for revenge. You've just signed our death warrent." Will says, pointing to Arthur.

"He saved Matthew's life!" Hunith almost shouts.

"It's all right, Hunith." Arthur assures her. "This is his village. What would you have us do?"

"We can't fight against Kanen, he has too many men." Will says.

"So what's the alternative?" I ask, stealing Arthur's line.

"We give him what he wants." Will answered.

"Then what? Those of you who don't starve to death, will face him again next harvest, and the harvest after that." Arthur points out, getting nods and agreements with the audience.

"We manage, we'll survive." Will said.

"How?" Some man asks.

"The only way he can be stopped is if you stand up to him." Arthur says to Will.

"No, you just want the honour and glory of battle. That's what drives men like you. Look if you wanna fight, then go home and risk the lives of your own people, not ours." Will exclaims rudely.

I'm about to rip into Will when Morgana's strong hand grips my arm and holds me back. I look from her arm to her face, and she gives me a look saying, 'Don't do it, Lizzie.'

I try to hold myself back, but I'm not really doing a good job of it. Will strides off, and Merlin follows him.

"I'll follow you." Hunith's voice says, calling everyone back to the situation at hand. "If I'm to die, then I want to go out fighting."

"That goes for me, too." Matthew says.

"Heh. I'm already here. Might as well make the long journey count." I speak up, and Arthur gives me a warm smile.

After them, everybody agrees and starts talking excitedly. Then we spring into action.

...

Morgana, Gwen, and I all share a bed. Strangely enough, we all seemed to fit. Since I didn't sleep well last night, I'm happy that I was able to sleep tonight. That is, until I heard Arthur's voice speak up. "Have you always slept on the floor?" Damn, why don't these people ever let me sleep?

"Yeah. The bed I've got in Camelot is luxury by comparison." Merlin answers.

"It must have been hard." Arthur commented thoughtfully.

"Hmm. It's like rock." Merlin jokes.

"I didn't mean the ground," Arthur said as if Merlin was the biggest idiot in the world. Then his tone when softer. "For you, it must've been difficult."

"Hmm...not really." Merlin says finally. "I didn't know any different. Life's simple out here. You eat what you grow and everyone pitches in together. As long as you've got food on the table and a roof over your head, you're happy."

"Sounds..." Arthur struggles to find the right word. "Nice." He finally says.

Merlin softly chuckles. "You'd hate it." He says knowingly.

"No doubt." Arthur accepts. "Why did you leave?"

Hesitation from Merlin. "Things just...changed."

By this point I'm too tired to hear the rest of Merlin's conversation, so I just give into sleep. It's gonna be a big day tomorrow.

...

The next morning, we're all getting ready. Merlin's helping Arthur dress, and Morgana comments on it. "Have you still not learned how to dress yourself?"

I let out a laugh, and quickly look away from Arthur's gaze. I can tell he was still giving me a look, though. "You don't have a dog and fetch the stick yourself. No offense, Merlin." He adds the last part quickly, I'm assuming to look polite.

"None taken." Merlin says, continuing to help him.

"Prince Arthur, you didn't finish your breakfast." Hunith says, bringing him his bowl. Okay, I'll admit. The food here wasn't the best, and after eating from the palace kitchens for so long, it was a bit hard to choke down, but hey, it was food. I'm glad I was getting any, especially since after all this, it was the Laberynth of Gedref, where Camelot goes through the famine.

"Didn't I?" Arthur faked surprise, and he took the bowl from Hunith.

"Come on, eat up." Morgana teased.

Arthur smiled at Hunith, and took a bite as she left. After he was sure she was gone, he handed me the bowl of food. I look around. Wasn't Gwen supposed to do it?

"Right, let's get going. We need wood and lots of it." Arthur says, leaving. Morgana and Gwen follow after him. Not wanting to hurt Hunith's feelings, I just eat the food that Arthur had left. Again, it wasn't the best, but that meant that I had extra energy.

Hunith was beside me now, and I handed her the bowl. "Arthur said it delicious." I say, adding emphasis on it so that he'd have to eat it a lot later. That'll teach him not to waste food. Hunith smiled and nodded, and took the bowl from me. After she did, I went to follow after Guinevere. I really don't want to get lost. Lord knows how that would screw me over.

...

I'm helping Morgana and Gwen sharpen swords and mend armour as Arthur trains the men of the village to fight. "There's no way they're gonna be able to hold Kanen and his men off." Morgana comments.

"Well," I begin, holding up a freshly sharpen sword. I spin it around in my hand, careful not to hit anybody. "Men aren't the only ones who can fight."

Morgana, Gwen, and I all share smiles that have the same idea behind it. We discuss it for a bit, before we decided to tell Arthur later that day. During the training break, just Morgana and I walk up to Arthur. Gwen had insisted on helping to serve others food and water.

"Looks like the battle is already fought and won." Morgana comments as Arthur takes some water out of a well.

Arthur looks back to the men, then to us. "They'll toughen up."

"They need to." I say.

"How are we doing for weapons?" Arthur asks.

"There isn't much, but we'll be able to scrape together what you need." Morgana answers.

We look to each other, and silently nod. I speak up. "It's not the weapons that worry us, it's having enough people to use them. We think the woman should be allowed to fight."

"You haven't enough men." Morgana points out. "If they were trained soldiers, maybe you'd stand a chance, but they're not."

Arthur just shakes his head though. "It's too dangerous." he says, then goes back to train the men.

"Man. What a wanker." I say, slipping into 21st century slang. Morgana and Gwen look at me funny, but I just shrug and go back to sharpening swords.

...

That night, Morgana and I lay awake. Gwen had fallen asleep, but we both couldn't sleep. It's strange, almost everything that happens to her, happens to me, and vice versa. "We don't stand a chance." Morgana comments.

"Arthur can't see that, though." I point out. "He's too stubborn."

"Why'd you think he came here?" Morgana asks.

"Well, the same reason we did, I guess." I turn my head to look at my best friend better. "Merlin. Arthur may act like he doesn't care, but he wouldn't be here if he didn't."

Morgana gently nods. "Yeah. I guess that makes sense." She yawns. "Now, I think we should get some sleep. We have a busy day ahead."

I smile, then close my eyes, letting the darkness engulf me into a peaceful sleep...

...

I awake early the next morning. Slipping out, I see that Matthew is getting ready to leave. God, that's right. Arthur had told him to watch out for Kanen's men. I can't let him go alone, I know what his fate will be.

"Matthew!" I called after him. I run towards him, and he stops.

I catch up to him and his horse. "I'm coming with you."

"What? Why?" He asks.

"You know. In case something happens. Every good man needs someone to watch their backs. Maybe I can be your someone." I make up.

Crossing my fingers in my head, I am beyond relieved when he says, "Okay, then."

I hurry and get my own horse, and travel with him to where we came from to look out for Kanen's men. We've been there a few hours, when I hear rustling. My instinct is to grab my sword, which I do. Matthew looks at me funny, but I motion for him to be quiet. He does, and I quietly stand up, pivoting around the spot where we were. I do a complete 360, and I turn back to face Matthew. He makes a gesture, as if he's silently asking me what's going on. I shrug, when from the corner of my eye, I see a man with a crossbow aimed at Matthew.

"Matthew! Look out!" I cry, and, without thinking, run towards Matthew just as the arrow is fired. I manage to knock him down, but I didn't manage to avoid the arrow. No, it didn't kill Matthew. But it sure did hurt me.

Because of the angle and how fast I ran to Matthew to push him out of the way, the arrow lodged itself into my left arm. I gasp at the pain as I feel to the ground. I look to my arm, and see bright crimson streaming out from my wound. I grab my sword, and thrust it to a still shell shocked Matthew. "We have to run." I manage to say through gritted teeth.

He breaks out of his daze, and helps me on the horse. Then he climbs on himself, and we're running back to Ealdor. As we run, I rip off a piece of my pant leg with my good arm to wrap it around my wound. Before I do though, I see the note that was supposed to be on Matthew's back right now. I rip it off, and shove it into my pocket. I take the cloth and wrap it around my ugly wound, wincing at the pain. It's not a very tight knot though, and more blood seeps through it. I finally just relax my head against Matthew's back, feeling weaker by the minute.

We get to the village, and Matthew's screaming for help. Pretty much everybody runs outside, and it's like everything is in slow motion. Morgana sees me and my wound, and screams at the top of her lungs. She rushes forward, and she and Matthew help me down. Well, Morgana is pretty much dragging me down. Merlin is running somewhere, and returns with a proper cloth. He wraps it around the wound, and pulls tighter. All the villagers are listening to Matthew intently as he recalls the story of what just happened.

"She saved my life." He finished, still appearing to be amazed.

I'm leaning heavily on Morgana now, and I reach into my pocket. "Here." I say, holding it out to Arthur. "The note was attached to the arrow. It's from Kanen."

Arthur, who looked white as a sheet, snapped back into focus and took the note from my bloody hand.

"What does it say?" Merlin asks.

"'Make the most of this day, it will be your last.'" Arthur says. I'm not gonna lie, I was fully expecting 'XOXO Gossip Girl' at the end, but I was let down.

"Look what you did!" Will said, stepping forward. "You nearly got Matthew killed, you got one of your own hurt!"

"It wasn't his fault." I try to insist, but I was losing my energy. Morgana was pratically holding me up now.

"If he wasn't strutting around, treating us like his personal army, this would never have happened!" Will exclaims.

"Will! I am all right!" Matthew insists.

Before Will has a chance to retaliate, Arthur speaks up, pointing to the villagers. "These men, are brave enough, to fight for what they believe in, even if you aren't."

"You're sending them to their graves!" Will exclaims. "You nearly had one man killed. How many more are going to actually be killed until you realize that this is a battle that can't be won?" he says. "When Kanen comes, you haven't got a chance. You're going to be slaughtered."

I growl, finally deciding that this was all I could take from Will. "Oh, please! _Arthur's_ sending them to their graves? _You_ are! If you don't fight, there will no longer _be _any villagers!"

"Don't strain yourself, Lizzie." Morgana whispers.

"Elizabeth, really, it's all right." Arthur tries to say.

"No, it really isn't! These people's bravery _combined_ will be more than you have ever had! _These_ are examples of proper men." I say, gesturing to the crowd. "They are something you could never dream of being. Fighting for something that you believe in strongly enough will cause you to _win_. And if you are too blinded by hatred to see it, then I can't see any other way to help you."

Silence amoung everybody. I huff out, releasing all my anger from my body. Once the adrenaline is gone, all my pain comes flooding all at once. "Now if you haven't noticed, I have an arrow lodged in my arm, and I would very much like it out."

Everyone finally did seem to notice in all the commotion, and somebody led me to a tent where someone could take care of it. Morgana, of course, was plastered to my side the entire time. I, of course, screamed in pain when the doctor took out the arrow, apologizing the entire time. I was so relieved when it was finally out, and all that was left was cleaning the wound, applying a salve, and wrapping the wound up.

"So how are you gonna fight tomorrow?" Merlin asks, who had shortly joined Morgana and I after the man who helped me left.

"She's not fighting." Morgana says fiercely.

I look over to her. "And who says I can't?" She looks at me in disbelief, they both do, but I keep going. "It was my left arm I hurt, not my right. I can still fight. We need all the help we can get."

Morgana is about to say something when someone walked into the tent. Looking over, I saw that it was Matthew, looking rather shy. Morgana and Merlin left, though I suspect that Merlin was still standing outside the tent.

"Umm, my Lady?" Matthew begins.

I nod. "Yes?"

Everything comes in a rush. "I'd like to thank you for saving my life. Not a lot of people like you would do something like this for a person like me and I'm so sorry you got hurt and I'll do everything to help you get better."

I can't help but laugh, and Matthew looks at me funny. "Matthew, I don't look at people through social statuses. I would have helped you regardless. It doesn't matter, I help the people I care about. I would have done it if it were Prince Arthur, or Merlin, or Hunith. I'm just glad to be of help."

Matthew nods to me. "Thank you again. Did you need anything?"

I shake my head. "I think I'm good. But thank you again."

He nods, then leaves, and Merlin steps back in. "Hey, I need to talk to you."

I look to my arm. "Look, I know it was a bad idea to push Matthew out of the way, but what did you expect me to do? He was about to get shot-"

"No, not that." Merlin dismisses. "It's about Will."

"Oh." I say. "Yeah, that. Yeah, I'm sorry I blew up at him. It was the heat of the moment."

"Liz, we both know I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Merlin says, crossing his arms.

"I know." I say.

"Well, you know what you have to do." Merlin says.

I nod and hang my head in shame. "I know." I repeat.

He points to the door. "Right now, young Lady."

I lift my head. "But he started it!" I say childishly, sticking my lower lip out into a pout.

"I don't care who started it, I'm telling you to finish it." He points to the door again. "March."

I groan in defeat and stomp out the door. Well, as well as I can stomp with an injury. "No good, dirty rotten, guilt tripping warlock."

**TBC...**

**So yeah...I saved Matthew.**

**Honestly, I thought his death was so unneeded, I was pissed off. Which is why I seized the oppertunity to save him.**

**Oh, and a surprise is coming up for Elizabeth in the very last episode of season 1. Which we are getting very close to, BTW. Any guesses as to what it is?**

**Anyways, Lizzie's Outfit's on Polyvore!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	18. The Moment of Truth part 2

**AN: Hey guys!**

**I'm so excited for the end of the Moment of Truth! I really want to get to the end of the season, 'cause I have a really good surprise!**

**Guys. I have 44 followers. You can't seriously tell me that ALL you guys are too lazy to review. Can I get some more please?**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN DOESN'T BELONG TO ME. I ONLY OWN ELIZABETH MALINOR. **

**Enjoy!**

I manage to find Will on his own. When I walked into his view, he pretended not to notice me and continued on with what he was doing. I rolled my eyes in response. "Now don't do that. Don't pretend like you can't see me."

"Why shouldn't I? My hatred should be blinding you." He says darkly.

I gulp and look down at my shoes. "Yeah, about that." I looked up, and he still wasn't looking. I groaned and walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and turned him around so that he was forced to look at me. When he does, I let go of his arm. "I'm sorry. About what I said. It was completely uncalled for, and I shouldn't have said it."

Will just nods. "Thank you."

"But just because I'm apologizing for embarrassing you doesn't mean that I'm apologizing for what I said. I still meant it. Will, you out of all people should believe at least Merlin when he says that we're only here to help. And I truly am sorry if you cannot see that." I say, and with that, I leave the room.

Merlin caught up with me later that day as I sat on a barell of hay. I wanted to help, to train, to hand out food, anything, but Arthur had insisted that I just rest for a while. And stupid Morgana for loving me so much, agreed with him. Well, I can't complain if I'm being loved. Still, it sucked.

I give him a lopsided smile in greeting as he sat down. It was silent for a few minutes, before he started speaking. "William's father was killed fighting for King Cenred, so he doesn't trust anyone of nobility."

My mind flashes to Cenred, who would become a powerful ally to Morgause and Morgana. I look to the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I did apologize too, just to let you know."

Merlin nods. "Good."

We look to Arthur, who was still training the men. "We have a chance, don't we?" I ask.

Merlin looks at me sharply. "Of course we do. Isn't that why you were yelling at Will?"

I nod, dismissing it. "Right, right. But Merlin, we haven't enough people to fight. Arthur is still being a prat and won't let the women fight."

Merlin sighs. "Look, I've known this entire village my whole life. We can do this."

"Yeah. You're right. You are absolutely right." I say, with a nod. I turn to face him with a smile. "Why do I ever doubt you?"

He laughs and shrugs. "I will never know."

...

That night, Arthur held a meeting with all the villagers. "Tomorrow morning, the women and children should gather what belongings they can carry and go to the woods."

Oh, that is just not right. I step forward. "I'm sorry, but we're not going anywhere."

Arthur turns to face me. "I know you want to help, but women can't stay here, it's too dangerous."

"It's just as dangerous for the men." I protest. I quickly realize my words and put my hands up slightly to the crowd of guys. "No offense, men." I turn back to Arthur. "The women have as much right to fight for their lives as the men do."

"None of you know how to fight." Arthur tries telling me.

I roll my eyes. "Women are observant. You don't think we've been watching you for the last couple days? We've been catching on. Besides, the more of us there are, the better chance we stand."

Everyone is silent, including Arthur. Then he speaks up. "This is your home. If you want to fight to defend it, that's your choice. I'd be honoured to stand alongside you."

That's the Arthur that I had come to love. "Much better." I comment.

Everyone then shares a laugh. It feels really good to laugh, especially when all this week has been seriousness.

Arthur goes back to the topic at hand. "Kanen attacks tomorrow. Kanen's a brutal man. He fights only to kill, which is why he will never defeat us. Look around. In this circle, we're all equals." Those words made me think of the Round Table, and I smile even wider. "You're not fighting because someone's ordering you to. You're fighting for so much more than that. You fight for your homes. You fight for your family. You fight for your friends. You fight for the right to grow crops in peace." Arthur doesn't falter, not once. "And if you fall, you fall fighting for the noblest of causes, fighting for your very right to survive. And when you're old and grey you'll look back on this day and you'll know, you earned the right to live every day in between. So you fight! For your family. For your friends. For Ealdor!" He says the Ealdor bit as he raises his sword, and everybody follows suit, chanting, "Ealdor!"

Morgana, Gwen, and I shared looks of hapiness. Then I looked back to Arthur, and our gazes locked. Arthur tilted his sword a little in my direction, and I nodded at him too. God, this is why I loved this man. He has such an amazing power to move people. And I think that is the person everyone should strive to be.

...

The next morning was the day of the fight, and Arthur had disappeared without eating his breakfast. Again.

Hunith had prepared some food for him, so I offered to take it to Arthur for her. It took me a while, but I managed to find him. He was in the forest, leaving against a tree. Man, he looked so hot...Lizzie that is not the time for this.

"Arthur?" I called, getting his attention. He turns his head as I walk up to him. I hold out the bowl to him. "Hunith made you something to eat."

Arthur hesitates before taking it. "Thanks." I turn to leave, when I hear him say, "I think."

Fed up with his behaviour, I turn around. "This is not exactly princely behaviour. Food is scarce for these people, you shouldn't turn your nose up at it. Just because it's not food fit for a prince, doesn't mean that you should just cast it away like it's nothing. You know I'm right."

Arthur's speechless for a moment. Then he looks away and says, "You are. You're right, this isn't the way a Prince should behave. And you were right to speak up about the women, I should have listened to you and Morgana and Gwen. We're going to need all the help we can get."

I chuckle. "How do those words taste in your mouth?"

He looks back at me. "Like vinegar."

I nod. "We'll be fine, you know."

"How can you be so sure?" He asks.

"Well, because you're leading us.I mean, there hasn't been a fight that Arthur Pendragon has lost yet." I say, giving a little salute. "And I have faith in you."

He gives me a look, and I quickly add. "We all do, is what I mean. We all have to if you're leading us. Has anybody ever told you that you have the worst confidence in yourself, deep down? The parts that you never let anybody see."

He actually cracks a smile. "I can always count on you to cheer me up, can't I?"

I lean closer to him, causing my heart to beat like crazy. "You always can, and you always will." I turn to leave, and Arthur grabs my hand. "Elizabeth, wait."

I turn my head to face him. "Yes?"

"You can't fight. You're injured." He says, looking to my arm.

"Arthur, I have to fight. You just said yourself that we need all the help that we can get. Besides, I hurt my left arm, not my right. I can fight. Come on, if I can convince Morgana then I can certainly convince you." I say with a smile at the end.

Arthur smiles too. "That's true. But you have to promise you'll be careful."

I squeeze his hand a little. "As long as you can promise me the same thing." I say, then I let go of his hand, and leave back to the main part of the village, the blush slowly leaving my cheeks. As I'm walking, I see a beautiful yellow flower. I pick it, and secure it in my hair. An innocent thought before a long time of bloodshed.

...

Morgana goes to tell Arthur that Kanen's men has crossed the river, and we all prepare for battle.

We're all standing in a line, and Arthur is just shaking everyone's hand. I don't know if it's like a thing you're supposed to do before battle, but I've never seen anyone do it on TV, so.

Arthur comes up to me, and gently shakes my hand. "Are you frightened?" he asks.

I shake my head, and stick my chin up. "Not in the slightest. More excited, really."

Arthur moves on, and we all spring into action. I'm standing where Merlin and Arthur are. Suddenly, Kanen's men all erupt from the shadows. I flinch. Hey, it's an instinct.

"Hold." Arthur whispers as more men proceed into the village.

"No one moves until I give the signal." Arthur whispers to everyone. I feel like I wouldn't be able to move even if he did give the signal.

"Hold." he commands again.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." Kanen taunts.

Hide and seek has just been ruined for me for life.

Everyone is bustling, and Arthur mutters, "Now, Morgana, what are you waiting for? Something's gone wrong."

I remember that it took a while for Morgana to get the stone thing right until Merlin went over. I turned around to face him. I give him a look that says, 'Go help her!'

He nods, and runs off, Arthur harshly whispering his name after him.

They clearly see Merlin, because one of them yells, "There's one, get him!"

Merlin must have managed to set the flames, because they're suddenly everywhere. Kanen's men's horses are backing away in fear of the flames.

Then Arthur's screaming, "NOW!" And everybody comes out of their hiding places.

Everybody's clashing swords, and it's all really fast and intense. One man runs up to me, swinging his sword, and I block his hit, although it puts strain on my arm, considering I can really only use one arm to fight. I quickly finish him off though, and am soon enough fighting another one. Well, I guess if I'm going to be here for a long time, I might as well get used to this.

I'm still fighting one as another runs up to me. I'm sweating like crazy, and I'm quickly losing stamina. To my intense relief though, Morgana runs up to me and takes care of the man behind me. I finish mine off, and we turn to face each other. "Thanks." I say.

"I got your back, Lizzie." She says. We both nod, and we go back to fighting.

One old man looks like he's about to be finished off since he's pinned up against the wall, so I come up behind the bandit and strike him right through his back. Man, if my grandmother could see me right now, she'd have a heart attack. Not only her, but the people I went to high school with. I was always the quiet, nerdy girl who couldn't do anything. Well, look at me now! Ha ha ha! Wait, they probably can't see me.

I finish another guy off, but I don't see the one that comes up behind me, and he gets me in the right arm. Damn it, that was my good arm!

I scream in pain and fall to the ground. He's about to run me through when somebody gets him from behind. When the man falls to the ground, I'm shocked to see that it's Will. I choke out a laugh in disbelief. "Thanks." I manage to splutter.

He just nods his head. "Well," he says, and he quickly helps me stand up. "I thought about what you said. And you were right. Nice flower, by the way." He says, motioning to my head.

I touch it. Huh, I would have thought that it would have fallen out by now. "Man, I can not get enough of hearing that I'm right. And thank you." I say. Will smiles at me, then runs off to Merlin. I turn around and fight as best as I can with my left arm. Matthew sees me struggling, and he comes over to help me. Even with all this going on, there are still too many people.

Just as I think this, the giant tornado of dirt that Merlin creates erupts from the ground, and everybody is hit with the force of the wind. It's so strong that it blows me back really far, and I land right next to Morgana. I grunt as I fall on my back, but I quickly cover my face so that the dirt doesn't get into my eyes.

Eventually it all becomes too much for Kanen's men, and the men remaining all flee, with the villagers of Ealdor running after them. I quickly stand up, and Morgana, Gwen, and I join in a group hug at our victory. I pull away from the hug, and run to hug Merlin, then I hug Will, who actually accepts my hug.

Our victory was not celebrated for long, because Kanen's loud voice rang out, "PENDRAGON!"

He came out into the clearing, and takes off his helmet. Before I can even comprehend anything, they're fighting. After a bit of sword clashing, Arthur stabs Kanen, who falls to the ground.

I suddenly remember that Will was supposed to die in the next couple minutes. I move to tell him, but I hold myself back when I remember one crucial detail.

While Will was dying, he had covered up for Merlin about using the magic. And since Will was dying, that lie would have died with him. If I save Will, it will have a significant change to the plot, unlike Matthew's was. I can't save him, not this time.

After Kanen was dead, Arthur turned to us. "Who did that?"

Will and Merlin just looked confused. "What?" Merlin asks.

"Wind like that doesn't just appear from nowhere. I know magic when I see it." Then you clearly do not know magic, my friend. "One of you made it happen." He says, walking up to us.

I put my hands up. "Don't look at me, I swear I just got here." I say, trying to save my skin. A selfish thing to do, I know.

"Arthur..." Merlin begins.

Merlin doesn't get to finish his sentence, because Will sees Kanen load an arrow to be shot at Arthur, he yells, "Look out!" Pushing Arthur out of the way.

"WILL, NO!" I scream, moving to push him out of the way. I don't care anymore, Will was one of my friend's best friend. Will being gone would hurt Merlin, and I couldn't be able to bear that, especially since I would have known.

It was too late though. The arrow was already sailing in the air, and Will had already moved in front of it. Soon enough, it collided with Will's chest.

Kanen was still alive, so I quickly grab a discarded crossbow that was still loaded, aimed it, and shot the arrow right at Kanen's head. Needless to say, it made it's destination. Did I forget to mention that I had also gotten "extra" target practice? I was much better at that than sword fighting.

"WILL!" Merlin shouted, catching his best friend before he fell to the ground. Thinking that Merlin needed some help, I helped support Will too. Arthur had recovered by then, and helped catch Will too.

Arthur looks at Will in wonder. "You saved my life."

"Yeah...I don't know what I was thinking." He manages to joke.

"Come on, get him inside!" Arthur yells, and a bunch of more people move to help Will. We bring him inside, and set him on a table. Everybody but me, Merlin, and Arthur left the table.

"That's twice I've saved you." Will manages to grunt out.

"Twice?" Arthur asks.

"It was me." Will says, pretty much choking on each word. "I'm the one that used the magic."

"Will, don't..." Merlin started.

"It's all right." Will assures him, turning his head slightly to face him. "I won't be alive long enough for anyone to do anything to me." He turned back to Arthur. "I did it. I saw how desperate things were becoming. I had to do something."

"You're a sorcerer?" Arthur asks in disbelief.

"Yeah. What are you going to do? Kill me?" Will jokes.

Even though he's trying to make a joke, his words tug on my heart.

"No. Of course not." Arthur says somberly.

"Merlin...do what you can for him." Arthur tells him. Arthur pats Will's shoulders, then moves to leave. He's about to guide Morgana and Gwen out when he turns back to me. "Elizabeth..."

"Just give me a minute." I say, turning to face Arthur.

Arthur nods, and everyone leaves the room. I turn back to face Will. "I'm sorry. I wasn't the best person to you. You truly are the bravest man that I have ever met, Will."

I reach up into my hair, and take out the flower. I take his hand, and gently set the flower in it. "For you. Yellow is a good colour on you."

He nods as best as he can. "Thank you, Elizabeth."

I smile, then lean over and lightly kiss him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Will. I'll see you again. Not soon, but, I will." I say, and he actually laughs at my joke. I gently squeeze his hand, and give him and Merlin some privacy.

I walk out, and Morgana walks up to me. She's smiling sadly, but her eyes travel down to my arm and they widen. She gasps, "Lizzie, you're hurt!"

"What?" I say, and I look down to my right arm. Where Morgana was pointing was a rather large gash. Oh, that's right. That one bandit had gotten my arm. All the adrenaline from after that happened must have distracted me from the pain, but now that it was gone, it was coming in loads.

Morgana sighs. "We can't take you anywhere, can we?" She says, and leads me off to find the same person who patched me up last time. I look back to the tent, where a two best friends went into, but only one would emerge out of.

...

Later that day we held Will's funeral. I stood with Morgana and Gwen, and Merlin stands with Arthur.

After speaking with Merlin, Arthur comes to help us get the horses ready.

Merlin says goodbye to his mother and a few other people, and then he comes to leave. I catch his hand before he goes on his horse. "Everything will be okay." I say. "You know that, right?"

He smiles at me. "Yeah. I do."

And with that, he gets on his horse, I get on mine, and the five of us go back to Camelot, where another adventure was bound to be waiting.

**TBC...**

**Aww man, that was depressing. Anyways, I am so excited! I'm getting so close to the end of season 1! Where a surprise waits at the end!**

**Liz's outfits on Polyvore!**

**Till Next Time, **

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUES...**

"I am Anhora, keeper of the Unicorns." A white haired, old man said.

"Arthur, don't!" Elizabeth Malinor cries out as Arthur Pendragon shoots the unicorn.

"When you killed the unicorn, you unleashed a curse." Anhora explains.

Guinevere tries pumping out water, but all that comes out is sand.

The grain reserves are gone, and Uther and Arthur Pendragon stare out into a field of dead crops.

"For this, Camelot will suffer greatly." Anhora continues.

"The kingdom is under attack." Uther concludes.

Arthur clashes swords with a red haired man.

"Undo the curse." Arthur commands Anhora.

"It is not in my power." Anhora tries to explain.

Arthur rides out from Camelot.

"He will be tested." Anhora explains to Merlin and Elizabeth.

"One of us has to die." Arthur concludes as he, Elizabeth, and Merlin stare at the two goblets.

"What have you done?" Merlin asks in disbelief.


	19. The Labyrinth of Gedref part 1

**AN: 'Sup guys!**

**OMG, this one person made me SO HAPPY. Her name is torchedtardis, and she said, "i got so excited when i saw you updated i almost vomited on my computer."**

**Somehow that is the cutest thing someone's ever told me. So this chapter is dedicated to torchedtardis for making my day :)**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. ONLY ELIZABETH MALINOR.**

**Enjoy!**

I was getting so bored just hanging around the castle. I've been here for a couple months, and I've seen everything there is to see about the castle. So when I heard from Merlin that he and Arthur were going hunting, I went straight to Uther and begged him to let me go with them. When he asked why, I had said that one day, I might be lost in the forest with no food, and I'd be able to know how to get it.

That somehow convinced him, so here I am now with Merlin and Arthur and a bunch of other people hunting. Arthur wasn't particularly happy about me coming (something about how my arms weren't fully healed from before, the one on my left arm actually got infected) but he had to suck it up since Uther said I could go. He had insisted that I stayed behind him and Merlin at all times. It was really annoying, but I complied.

We crept slowly around a bunch of rocks. Arthur turned around, and made motions with his fingers. I really had no idea what they meant, so after everyone left, I just walked up to Arthur.

Arthur had gestured for Merlin to walk up to him. "What is it?" I ask in a whisper.

"I don't know." Arthur answers, in a whisper too. He turns to us. "We'll surround it." Then he turns to Merlin. "I want you to go in there and flush it out."

"You want me to go in there?" Merlin asks. "You just said that you don't know what it is. It could be dangerous."

"Just stop being a girl and go." Arthur says.

I roll my eyes. "Oh for the love of all that is good, I'll go." I say, and I 'round the corner before Arthur nor Merlin could protest. As I was walking, it struck me that this was exactly what happened in the episode with the unicorn. Oh my God, I'm gonna see a unicorn! Yay!

I hear rustling, and walk to where the sound was coming from. I found a stick on the ground, and grabbed it, in case it actually wasn't a unicorn. I hear more rustling...twigs crunching...

"Lizzie." A voice whispers.

I nearly scream and I swing around with the stick. Merlin narrowly avoids it.

"Merlin," I say, dropping a hand to my crazily studding heart. "What're you doing here?"

"Arthur wanted me to come with you. Said in case something happened to you." He quickly explains.

"Aww. That was sweet." I say, and I snap out of it. "Let's go."

We come out of the clearing, and we freeze in our tracks.

The thing that Arthur was hunting _was_ in fact, a unicorn. An actual unicorn! I smile happily at the sight of it. It looked just like a horse, but with a horn on its head. Wait, then why isn't it called a unihorn?

Anyways, not daring to take my eyes off of it, I tap Merlin's arm. "Merlin, it's not just me that can see the unicorn, is it?"

Merlin might have shaked his head, but I wasn't sure. "No, I can see it too."

I drop the wooden stick in my hand, and walk closer to it, Merlin at my heels. I really want to touch it, but I'm scared that it would frighten it. I'm still gazing in wonder at the _actual unicorn_ when Merlin looks around himself frantically. "Liz, do you remember what we're doing here?"

I snap back into reality when I remember that we're supposed to be hunting. I look around myself too. "Shoot!" I say. I turn back to the unicorn. "You have you get out of here!" I gesture for it to shoo, and Merlin does the same. "They're going to kill you, please don't!"

I look around as Merlin keeps trying to get the unicorn to leave. My eyes land on Arthur, who was high up in the tree. Remembering the horrors it brings on Camelot, I scream, "ARTHUR, NO!"

It's too late though. Arthur had already let the arrow go, and it was lodged into the neck of the unicorn. The unicorn neighed, and fell to the ground. In a split second, I was on the ground next to it. I reached out and did what I wanted to do. I touched the unicorn.

It felt exactly like a horse, but it didn't really feel like one. I just stroked the poor thing's face. Tears flood into my eyes at the thought of this magistic creature dying. "I'm so sorry."

Merlin floods next to me and does the same thing. Arthur, however, runs up to us happily. "Ha-ha! It's a unicorn!"

I look up to Arthur, tears streaming down my face. "What have you done?" I look back down to it.

The other Knights have joined us by now. "Don't be so dramatic, Elizabeth. See? This is why I don't bring girls with me when I go hunting." Arthur said.

"Remind me not to come next time." I mumble, laying my nose against the unicorn's face. I bring my face back up, only to see that guy, Anhora, who if I can recall correctly, was the Keeper of the Unicorns.

I look over to Merlin, who looks over to me at the same time. We've gotten good at having eye conversations, so I know the look on his face is asking if I can see Anhora too. I just no silently, and we both turn back to face Anhora.

Arthur looks at us funny. "What _are_ you looking at?" He asks, and turns to see what we're looking at. But Anhora's already gone.

...

After we got back, I went straight to my chambers, found a book to read (the selection here isn't very good, but I wasn't exactly expecting to find Twilight or Harry Potter or something like that) sat in front of my fire, (I had taught myself how to make one in the fireplace so that Gwen doesn't have to do it all the time for me. She gets really mad when I do that, though, so I don't do it as often anymore) and tried to concentrate on it.

But my mind kept wandering back to the unicorn. I've loved unicorns my whole life. I've always wanted one, and since my parent's were loaded, I asked for one. My Dad just told my that they didn't exist, and went back to work. I know it seems weird that back home, I was a poor college student, and my parent's were loaded. I just refused to use their money for anything. I didn't want to be one of those rich kids who relied on their Daddies to live. Trust me, being in a high class circle, I've met a lot. I let them pay for my first year of education, but when I kept getting snide remarks from people in my Uni, I cut it all off, and got a job. It wasn't the best job, but it saved my dignity.

Anyways, I've always wanted to see a unicorn, and even after my Dad blatantly told me that they didn't exist, I still believed in them. Like how I do in Peter Pan and in faeries. Except Tinkerbelle was a little bitch, so not so much faeries. But here, faeries exist, so who knows? Maybe I'll meet some faeries. Last thing on the list would be meet Peter Pan, so I'd be good there!

I fell asleep in my chair after trying to read for a half hour. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Not because of nightmares, I just couldn't get comfortable enough.

I felt a hand shake my shoulder, and I woke up. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Morgana's face. "I'm sorry to have woken you, Lizzie. I just thought that maybe you'd be more comfortable on the bed..."

"No, Morgana, it's fine." I tell her. "I really shouldn't have fallen asleep anyways." I gesture to my other chair. "Sit."

She smiles, and does. We sit in silence for a little, then Morgana sighs. "All right, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine." I say, lying very badly.

Morgana laughs. "Okay, even you know that that was a horrible lie."

"Yeah, it really was." I say, and we both laugh. Then I went serious, and just told her what was bothering me. "I went hunting with Arthur and Merlin today, and I saw Arthur kill a unicorn."

Morgana tsks in disappointment. "Why would you go hunting? You hate killing things."

"I know! I was just so darn bored! I couldn't find you anywhere. Where were you, anyway?" I ask.

She gives me an apologetic smile. "I was at my lessons, I'm sorry Lizzie. Why did it make you upset?"

"You didn't see it Morgana." I say, going back to the still fresh memory. "It was...beautiful. The prettiest thing I've ever seen. And then it was gone. Just like that."

Morgana comes over and rubs my shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Lizzie. Do you maybe want to go for a walk? Clear your head?"

I nod. "Yeah. I think a little fresh air would do me some good."

...

Morgana had felt ill after our walk, so I let her rest, and I went looking for Merlin. I found him in his chambers, helping Gaius to try and figure out what happened to the crops. "Gaius? Is what people are saying about the crops true? That they're dying?"

Gaius nods. "I'm afraid so, my dear." He pours something out of a tube into a vial.

"Well, do you have any ideas as to what could have caused it?" I ask

"No disease I know of could spread through the kingdom in one night." Gaius says.

"What could kill all the plants?" Merlin asks.

"It is not killing _all_ the plants." Gaius corrects.

"The trees and hedges looked unharmed." I point out.

"Because they were." Gaius says. "But unfortunately, you can't eay trees and hedges."

"It's only killing plants we eat?" Merlin asks. By the look on his face, he's probably drawing some conclusions in that brain of his.

"It appears so." Gaius says, shaking the vial in his hands.

"Could it be magic that's causing it?" I ask.

"It's not a disease, it must be magic." Merlin assumes.

"We can't assume that, Merlin." Gaius tells him. "Perhaps there is something in the soil or water that can explain it. I can't tell the king that it's caused by sorcery until I am certain."

"But how long is that going to take?" I ask.

But Gaius doesn't answer me.

...

"First the crops die, now the all and any types of water is sand. What'll be next?" I ask as I pace in Merlin's room.

"I'm trying to do something about that, if you haven't noticed." He said, gesturing to the magic book and the bucket of sand.

"Right, sorry." I say, sitting on his bed. If no food means famine, and no water means drought, then that means that I can't eat or drink. I mean, I'll be able to eat and maybe drink because I'm a part of the royal court, but after that, nothing. I will not do well with famine. My day is 40% eating.

Merlin looked to his book, then put his hand in front of the bucket. "Greot gecuman leccan." He said, but nothing happened. He kept looking in the book.

He tried again as Gaius walked in. "Gecuman gedryc waeter." Merlin must have felt somebody behind him, because he turned around. He panicked, he knows that Gaius doesn't like him using magic for stuff like this. "I was...I was just..."

"I was hoping that you may have been trying to turn it back into water." Gaius said.

Merlin sighed and looked to me. "Why didn't you tell me Gaius was behind me?"

I straighten up. "What? I didn't think I needed to. It's not like it was somebody else other than Gaius. I would have told you then."

Gaius just rolls his eyes at our antics and sits next to me on the bed. "I know I have cautioned against using magic, but if ever there was a time to use your talents, it's now."

"I just wish I knew how." Merlin said, huffing in defeat. He picks up the magic book. "I've tried everything."

"He really did. I've been sitting with him the whole time." I add.

"If it _is_ magic, it is more powerful magic than I possess." Merlin says, looking up from the book. Gaius and I exchange looks of worry with each other. I just wanted to say that it was Anhora already, but then I'd get questions about how I knew that, and why did I know that, and yadda yadda yadda.

...

I had a rough night the night before, and tonight I really just wanted to sleep peacefully, so I went to Gaius's to get a draft. It was really late at night, so I had to make sure I wasn't caught because of the curfew Uther gave.

I was walking back, but I bumped into Merlin, which caused us to be caught by Arthur. "Merlin? Elizabeth?"

We both turn to face him. "You do realize there's a curfew?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just getting a sleeping draft from Gaius. I've been having some troubled nights." I explain.

Arthur nods, and turns to Merlin. "And you?"

"I was in you chambers, hunting for the rat." He says.

Ugh, that's right. There was a rat that had been crawling in Arthur's chambers, and when Merlin caught it, he made it into a soup for Arthur, who had given it to Morgana. Note to self-don't accept stew from Morgana.

"Did you find it?" Arthur asks, coming up to us.

"No." Merlin finally admits.

"So you have been outwitted by a rat?" Arthur asks.

"They do say rats are very intelligent." Merlin points out lamely.

"More intelligent than you, it would seem." Arthur said. "Go home. It'd be embarrassing to have to lock up my own servant for breaking the curfew." He turns to me. "And you go too."

"Hey! I'm pretty sure Uther wouldn't lock _me_ up, especially if it has to do with my health." I point out.

Arthur's in the process of rolling his eyes, when they rest on a specific locatio. I remember in the episode that Arthur must have seen Anhora.

"What was that?" Arthur asks.

Merlin looks in the same direction. "What?"

And then Arthur's running in that direction, Merlin on his heels. I don't want to be left alone in the dark, and it was actually a pretty importent point in the episode, so I ran after them, hiking up my skirts so I could run better.

Arthur jumps over the Courtyard Corridor ledge, and Merlin and I follow suit. We chase Anhora down the Upper Corridor, down some stairs, and down the Wrought Iron Stairway to the Burial Vaults where we lose him. Arthur signs to Merlin, telling him to go the other way and cut Anhora off. Then he points to me, then to himself, which probably means that he wants me to go with him. Merlin nods, then begins to follow Arthur and I.

Trying to surpress his anger, he whispers, "That means you go the other way and cut him off."

Merlin nods, getting it this time. "Okay."

Merlin goes one way, and Arthur and I go the other. We all end up back at the Wrought Iron Stairway without seeing anyone. Then we turn to see Anhora's shadow as he briefly rounds the corner. Arthur has Merlin go the other way again, and has me follow him again. We end up back at the Wrought Iron Stairway again, not a person other than us in sight.

"Where is he?" Arthur asks.

"I didn't seen anyone." Merlin says.

"He was right here! Don't tell me you let him get past you." Arthur says in a threatening voice.

"Arthur, no one passed me." Merlin insists.

"Are you blind?!" Arthur practically shouts.

I walk in between them. "Boys, please! There is not need to shout!" I say, looking between them.

"Are you looking for me?" A voice says, and we all look to where it was coming from. And, sure enough, it was Anhora. "I am Anhora, Keeper of the Unicorns."

We all look to each other, and Arthur steps forward a little. "Camelot is under curfew. What's your business here?"

"I have come to deliver a message." Anhora declares.

"And who is this message for?" Arthur asks calmly.

"It is for you, Arthur Pendragon." He reveals.

"Is it you who's responsible for killing our crops, turning our water into sand?" Arthur asks, a sudden edge in his voice.

"You alone are responsible for the misfortune that has befallen Camelot." Anhora tells him.

"Me?!" Arthur asks, disbelieving. "You think I'd bring drought and famine upon my own people?"

As much of a prat as he usually is, you've got to give Arthur credit. He cares about his people more than his own life.

"When you killed the unicorn, you unleashed a curse." Anhora explains. "For this, Camelot will suffer greatly."

"If you have put a curse on Camelot, you will lift it, or you will pay with your life." Arthur says.

"What are threats going to do, Arthur? Did you see him walking around like a ghost, or was that just me?" I ask.

"The curse was not my doing." Anhora continues.

"Undo the curse or face execution." Arthur threats, walking closer to Anhora.

"Oh for the love of God." I say in disbelief.

"Only you can do that. You will be tested." Anhora informs Arthur.

Probably fed up, Arthur says, "You're under arrest." and reaches for Anhora.

But Anhora disappears, and Arthur stumbles. Anhora reappears on top of the Wrought Iron Stairway.

"Until you have proven yourself, and made amends for killing the unicorn, the curse will not be lifted. If you fail any of these tests, Camelot will be damned for all eternity." Anhora reveals, and he disappears again.

We're all quiet for a while, before I speak up. I point up to the Stairwell. "See? That's what I meant about the threats being empty."

**TBC...**

**It'd be longer, but I'm really tired, and it's really late. Part 2 up soon!**

**Lizzie's outfit's on Polyvore!**

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


	20. The Labyrinth of Gedref part 2

**AN: Hi!**

**I am so excited to get passed season 1. The season I'm most excited for is season 3, because I have a few tricks up my sleeve :)**

**DISCLAIMER: MERLIN ISN'T MINE. ONLY ELIZABETH MALINOR BELONGS TO ME.**

**Enjoy!**

Did I mention that droughts suck? Well, droughts suck.

I don't know if any of you have ever experienced a drought, but it's absolutely awful. I literally had no energy to move. So I had stayed in bed all day. When Gwen had come in to wake me up, I told her I didn't feel like getting up, so she brought me breakfast in bed, and a book, which I read all morning. I was perfectly content with spending my day like that. But then, of course, Morgana found me, and we talked for a while before she decided that I needed to get up. She literally _dragged _me out of bed. I was holding on to my bed for dear life, but Morgana managed to land me on the floor. The woman is vicious, I tell you, vicious! And she isn't even evil yet!

She said that I have to leave my room for at least an hour, and if I was still tired after that, I could go back to my room. I was just gonna go back when she left, but I saw some guards outside my room, meaning that Morgana probably put them up to it so I wouldn't be able to get back in until the hour was up. Clever girl.

I quickly finished my walk, then I went back to my room. I quickly crawl back into bed, and go back to sleep.

I slept through the night too. I must have been really exhausted without water.

Because of all the sleep that I had gotten, I woke up really early the next day. Like, it was still dark outside. I get out of bed, and went and sat by my fireplace. I didn't want to change out of my night clothes, so I just sat in front of the fire with a blanket wrapped around myself.

I must have fallen asleep again, because I heard my doors burst open and I jerked awake, giving myself a heart attack. I turn around in my seat, and I see that it's Gwen, holding a tray with a pitcher and a few goblets. "My Lady! The water's back!"

My creeky eyes snap open as I leap out of my chair. I run to the table, where Gwen was pouring me a glass of water. She hands it to me, and I greedily drink it down. Gwen laughs at me, but pours me some more, which I swallow in three gulps. I drink about 3 more glasses, then I leap on to my bed, happier than I have been in a few days.

...

I'm in a much better mood that day due to my energy coming back, so I happily skip down the hall. I bump into Merlin as I 'round the corner. "Merlin! How are you this fine morning?"

He just laughs at me. "What's got you so happy?"

"My energy is back! I feel like I'm on a sugar rush, and I feel like I'm gonna explode!" I say, jumping up and down. I grab a hold of Merlin's hands. "Come on, Merlin, let's go jump off the castle walls!"

He laughs again. "I don't think so, Lizzie."

I sigh. "Look, I promise we'll be hanging from a rope."

Merlin smiles at me, but shakes his head. "Sorry, but I have to go do my chores."

I groan. "Fine." I think it's time to bring up the fact that the water's back. "But Merlin?" I ask.

He turns back to me. "Yeah?"

"How did the water come back? Do you have any ideas? I thought this was one of Camelot's curses." I say, confused.

"Well, last night, Arthur and I caught someone trying to steal some of the grain reserves for him and his family." Merlin begins.

I fake gasp. "And what happened?"

"Arthur let him go. With the grain, too. But what I find strange is that the man said that Arthur being kind would bring it's own reward. I think that that man was talking about us getting the water back." Merlin concludes.

I nod. "Okay, this is good. All we have to do now is make sure that Arthur doesn't lose his cool."

Merlin knits his eyebrows together, trying to understand what I was saying. "What?" he asked, giving up.

Damn it! I really gotta stop slipping into 21st Century slang!

"Umm, I meant that we have to make sure that Arthur keeps behaving that way." I correct myself.

Merlin slowly nods. "Right." he looks around. "I'm sorry Lizzie, I have to go finish my chores before Arthur has me beheaded."

I laugh. "Go on then. I'll just have to find someone else to jump off the castle wall with."

"Have fun with that!" Merlin said, laughing as he walked away.

"I definitely will!" I say. "Hmm, who would be good?" I think aloud, and one name comes to me. "Oh Sir Leon!..." I say in a sing song voice.

...

After failing to find Sir Leon (I honestly think Merlin told him to go and hide from me) I went for a walk in town. As soon as I got out though, it was way more crowded than it usually was (and trust me, it is usually really crowded).

I walked up to Arthur and Morgana, who were watching the outside villagers come in. "Who are all these people?" I ask.

Arthur turns to me before looking back to the people. "They have come from the outlying villages in search of food. We don't have enough rations to feed the people who are already here."

"You shouldn't blame yourself." I say to him. "I'm sure you're doing everything you can."

Arthur huffs slightly before he leaves. "It's not enough." He says as he leaves.

Gwen comes up to us as Arthur leaves. Morgana looks around to see if the coast is clear before leaning down. "Did you manage to find any food?" She asks.

Gwen looks around too before she pulls back a cloth that was resting in her basket, revealing some fresh bread.

"Where did you get that?" I ask.

"I was able to smuggle it out of the palace kitchens." Gwen says, looking around again.

Morgana looks around again before she turns to Gwen. "Share it out amongst the children and old people."

Gwen nods, and leaves to do so. "Make it go as far as you can!" I add as an afterthought.

I look back to my raven haired best friend, who was looking at everybody with extreme worry. How can someone so selfless, so pure, turn so evil at the drop of a hat?

Morgana must have felt my gaze on hers, because she turns to face me. She gives me a sad smile. "How long do you think this is going to last?" She asks.

The famine or the good in your heart? I give an encouraging smile. "Not very long." I say, answering her question and my own.

She smiles at me. "How can you be so sure?"

Thinking back to all the horrible things Uther has done and will do and Morgause and her power influence..."I just have a feeling."

...

Merlin and Arthur were attempting to leave the castle to search for Anhora when I caught them. I really wanted to go with them, and they didn't want me to rat them out to Uther. So, in exchange for my silence, they let me go with them.

We're looking in the forest for a good ten minutes. What are we looking for anyways? It just looks like a lot of green.

"I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for." Merlin says, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"Me too." I add.

"You're looking for footprints or broken branches." Arthur answered. Anything that would indicate someone passed that..."

Arthur must have seen Anhora, because he was running, calling after Merlin and me.

I was closer to Arthur, so I managed to catch up with him.

Arthur and I continued to chase Anhora, but we lose him, and come across a guy sitting next to a camp that was FULL of horded food. Just the sight of it is enough to send my mouth watering. I don't think I've been this hungry since the famine started.

"You." Arthur said, looking right at the man.

"Who is he?" I ask Arthur.

Arthur turns to me. "A man called Evan who was caught smuggling last night. I let him go." He looks at all the hordred food and supplies. "You're a thief." He stated.

"Wasn't that obvious when you caught me stealing your grain?" Evan asked.

I could tell Arthur was angry, but he lets it go. "Fortunately I have more important things to deal with." He said, taking my hand to lead me away with him.

Evan laughs. "You didn't really believe that story about my children, did you?"

Arthur was about to turn around, but I try to stop him. "Just ignore him, Arthur." I say to him under my breath.

But the stupid idiot didn't listen to me. He turns around to face Evan. "What kind of man lies about starving children to save his own skin?"

I groan. "Do we really have to do this?"

They both ignore me as Evan speaks, "Your people starve because you let thieves steal their grain. That is why they doubt you."

"You don't speak for my people." Arthur says firmly, turning to leave again.

"Hey, your father would never have allowed himself to be fooled like that." Evan kept taunting.

Damn it, just as I thought that we were leaving. Arthur turns back around. "You hold your tongue, or I will make time to teach you some manners."

"Arthur." I say, getting his attention. "Time." I say, pointing to my wrist, although I don't know why, because wrist watches haven't even been invented yet. "We're running out of it."

"Your father would have had me executed, but you didn't have the stomach for it, did you, Arthur?" Evan continued. "And that's why he doubts you'll make a good king."

"You know nothing of what my father thinks." Arthur says, scarily calm.

"I think he wishes he had another son," Evan said, voicing his thoughts. "One who was worthy of taking his place. You shame him."

Okay, I'll admit it, even I was ready to cut this guy, but I couldn't lose my cool just as Arthur was about to.

Arthur couldn't take the taunts anymore. "Pick up your sword." he said.

"Really, Arthur?" I ask. "Are we really going to do this?"

He and Evan ignored me again. Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting sick of being ignored.

"The King must fear the day when you will take the throne." Evan said, picking up his sword from the ground.

Arthur swings his sword, which Evan easily evades. They swing around a little more. "He fears you do not have enough strength to defeat his enemies."

"Arthur, stop it! He's not worth it! _Camelot_'s not worth it!" I shout after him.

Angrily, Arthur pushes him back. The clash swords for a litte more. Evan disarms Arthur, but Arthur pushes him into the wall and leaps for his sword. Before he has the chance to, I decided enough was enough, and got to the sword first. I pick it up, and swing it at Evan. I disarm him, and kick him to the ground. I whirl to face Arthur. "I said stop it." I say fiercely.

Arthur's just looking at me in awe, before his expression changes into one of panic. He grabs the sword from my hand and pushes me out of the way, and I fall to the ground. I look, just in time for Evan to say, "The King must wonder if you are even his son."

Arthur and him perry again, before Arthur looks ready to give the final blow. Just as he does, I scream, "ARTHUR, DON'T!"

But it was too late. Arthur pushed Evan against the tree, and ran him through. But to Arthur's surprise, Evan disappears just as he delivers the final blow.

I stand up and move next to Arthur as Anhora appears out of nowhere again. "This is your doing." Arthur states.

"It was a test to see what is truly in your heart." Anhora said.

"Your tricks prove nothing!" Arthur yelled angrily.

Anhora ignored this. "Why did you kill this man?" He asks.

"He insulted my honour!" Arthur said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You could have chosen to ignore his taunts." Anhora points out. "What harm would they do you?"

"You will lift the curse, Sorcerer." Arthur commands.

"It is not in my power." Anhora tells him.

"Then you will die." Arthur says, moving to strike him.

"No!" I yelled, moving to stop him, but Anhora disapparates and Arthur falls to the ground.

"Killing me will not help you." he points out.

Arthur tries to strike him again, but I grab his shoulders to stop him. Anhora disapparates anyways, and Arthur and I both crash to the ground.

"You have shown that you would kill a man to defend your pride. You have failed the test." Anhora said, and Arthur's face drops. "For this, Camelot will pay dearly."

"My people have done nothing!" Arthur protests.

"Your people's suffering is not my doing. It is yours." Anhora tells him. And with that, he's gone.

Arthur turns his head to me, and I roll my eyes and crash mine to the ground. "I'm going to starve forever, aren't I?" I say. I look up to Arthur before he has a chance to answer. "God damn it, Arthur! Why is it so important to you to protect your pride? I kept telling you that this all wasn't worth it, why didn't you listen?"

Again, before Arthur has the chance to answer, Merlin comes running up to us. We quickly leave, Arthur not speaking a word the entire time.

...

Merlin tells me later that day that Arthur has to complete a final task to try and save Camelot. He also told me that Arthur refused to let him go with him, but he's going to be sneaking off anyways.

It was then that I had insisted on tagging along. When Merlin refused, I said that I could always go and find Arthur before he left and let him know of Merlin's secret plans. Merlin then decided to let me go with him.

After we ride for a bit, we get to the Labyrinth of Gedref. We wait a bit for Arthur to get ahead, then we proceed inside the labyrinth ourselves. Merlin and I look both ways. "Left or right?" He whispers.

I look both ways before whispering back, "Left."

We go left, and keep walking. Merlin and I round a final corner, where we see the back of Anhora's cloak.

"You said Arthur would face a test. And here you are, preparing a trap for him." Merlin says.

"The trap isn't for Arthur." Anhora says. "It is for you two." Anhora tips his sword forward and says, "Gehæftan."

Merlin and I then proceed to be wrapped around with vines. It squishes me really tight, and my breathing is a little constricted.

"Hey, last time I checked, this was a vine, not a snake. Can you loosen it a little?" I ask.

...

Merlin and I are taken to a table by the sea, where we're told to sit down. I sit at the long end of the table, and Merlin sits at the short. On the table are the two goblets from the episode. Arthur comes not too long after, and looks confused when he sees us. "Merlin? Elizabeth?"

"I'm sorry." Merlin says.

"Me too." I add.

Arthur turns to Anhora. "Let them go. I'll take your test, but not till they're released."

Anhora shakes his head. "That is not possible. Merlin is part of the test."

"Then let Elizabeth go." Arthur says.

I turn to him. "I am not going anywhere. I came here out of my choice."

Arthur turns to me. "As your Prince, I order you to go back."

Ugh, why does he play this card? "And as your friend, I am staying for support."

"Please sit." Anhora interrupts. "If you refuse the test, you will have failed and Camelot will be destroyed."

Seeing that I won't be leaving anytime soon, Arthur reluctantly sits down. He turns to Merlin. "I thought I told you to stay at home. And you brought Elizabeth with you, wonderful." He says. When Merlin and I don't respond, he turns to Anhora. "Let's get on with it."

"There are two goblets before you." Anhora begins. "One of the goblets contains a deadly poison, the other goblet, a harmless liquid." Why is it always poisoned? "All the liquid from both goblets must be drunk, but each of you may only drink from a single goblet."

"What kind of ridiculous test is that? What does that prove?" Arthur asks.

"What it proves is for you to decide. If you pass the test, the curse will be lifted." Anhora tells him.

Arthur turns back to face Merlin. "Let's think about this. What if I drink from my goblet first?"

"If it's poisoned, you'll die." I point out.

"And if it's not, then Arthur'll have to drink from his, and he'll die. There must be a way around it." Merlin says, deep in thought.

"It is perfectly simple." Arthur says. "One of us has to die. We have to find a way to determine which goblet has the poison. And then I'll drink it."

"No, I will be the one to drink it." Merlin tells him.

"This is my doing. I'm drinking it." Arthur insists.

"It is more important that you live. You're the future king. I'm just a servant." Merlin says.

"This is no time to be a hero, Merlin. It really doesn't suit you." Arthur jokes.

Merlin sighs, and starts thinking again. "What if I drink from mine first, and if that's not poisoned, I will then drink yours?"

I cut in. "You can't. Anhora said that both of you are only allowed to drink from one goblet."

Arthur nods, and says, "I had no idea you were so keen to die for me."

"Trust me, I can hardly believe it myself." Merlin says with a slight eye roll.

Arthur snorts at what he says. But his face goes kinda sentimental. I'm glad you two are here." He says with a sigh, looking at both of us.

I blush and look down, and Merlin speaks up. "I've got it. Right, we pour all the liquid int one goblet and then we can be sure it is poisoned. Then all the liquid can be drunk, and it will be from a single goblet."

Arthur laughs in surprise. "You never cease to surprise me. You're a lot smarter than you look."

"Is that actually a compliment?" Merlin asks.

"I think it's as much of a compliment as you're going to get." I say with a small laugh.

"Look out!" Arthur says, pointing behind Merlin. Merlin looked, and I did too, for a spilt second, before I remembered that this was a trick by Arthur. Arthur takes the two goblets and pour all of the liquid into one of them, holding it to drink.

Merlin turns around after he sees there's nothing there. "No! I will drink it!"

Arthur scoffs. "As if I'd let you."

"You can't die. This isn't your destiny." Merlin insists.

"It seems you're wrong again." Arthur tells him.

"No! Listen to me!" Merlin says.

"You know me, Merlin. I never listen to you." Arthur says with a laugh. He toasts to us. Then he downs the whole thing.

"Arthur!" Merlin says with a shout. He looks to me with disbelief, probably due to the lack of reaction on my face. Oh, crap. I know that Arthur isn't really poisoned, so that's why I'm not reacting.

"No! What have you done?" Merlin says.

Arthur falls off the chair, going unconscious. "Arthur! No!" Merlin says, and tries to shake Arthur awake. I fall down next to him.

Merlin tries shaking Arthur awake. "Arthur. Arthur. Come on! Arthur, come on. Come on. Come on! No... Come on."

Merlin turns to Anhora. "Please. Please! Just... let me take his place!"

"This was Arthur's test, not yours." Anhora tells him.

"You've killed him! I was meant to protect him!" Merlin says.

"He is not dead." I say quietly. "He's probably drunken something else."

Anhora nods. "He's merely consumed a sleeping draught. He will come round shortly.

"What?" Merlin asks.

"A unicorn is pure of heart. If you kill one, you must make amends by proving that you also are pure of heart. Arthur was willing to sacrifice his life to save yours. He has proven what is truly in his heart. The curse will be lifted." Anhora says. "But how did you know that it was not poisoned?" he asks me.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Merlin asks.

Ah, crap, I really need to stop doing that. "Remember when you were poisoned, Merlin? You were shaking and acting feverish. Arthur's not acting like that at all." I say, turning back to face said blonde. I'm just so happy that he's not actually dead. I lean my forehead against his. After staying like that for a few seconds, Merlin and I get everything ready to leave.

...

After Arthur came around, we all rode back to Camelot.

When we got back, everybody is running around, crops in thier hands. We slip off our horses, and Gaius walks up to us. "Merlin! Lizzie! Arthur! There's good news! The crops have grown once again! They're bringing in the harvest."

Once Gaius leaves, Merlin leans over to Arthur. "You did it."

I playfully punch Arthur on the arm, to which he smiles at. "You really did."

Uther walks up to us. "Is this your doing?" He asks. "Is the sorcerer dead?"

"He won't be troubling us anymore." Arthur answers.

"Good." Uther says, nodding. He pats Arthur on the arm. "Make sure the grain reserves are re-stocked." Then he leaves. "I'll see to it." Arthur says, calling after him.

Arthur looks around, then looks to me and Merlin. "There is something we need to do first."

...

We're in the forest where all our troubles began. Arthur had taken the unicorn's horn, and he lay it in a burial mound of stones.

"I should never have ended your life. I'm sorry." He says. The way he says it so sincerely, makes me almost tear up.

Then Merlin, Arthur, and I begin laying stones over the grave. Merlin looks up and sees something. "Arthur, Lizzie..."

Arthur and I both stand up at the same time, and look to the unicorn. I look at it for a few seconds (hopelessly wishing I had a camera on me), and looked to Arthur, who had a completely awed look on his face. I gently touch his arm, and he turns to look at me. We smiled at each other, then look back to the unicorn as Anhora's words from the episode come back to me.

_ "When he who kills a unicorn proves himself to be pure of heart, the unicorn will live again."_

**TBC...**

**Whew, that took me a couple days to write! Guys, we are SO CLOSE to the end! I am so excited! **

**Lizzie's outfits on Polyvore!**

**Until next time,**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUE...**

"You didn't say anything about magic! I don't want any trouble!" Gwen's father hisses as the sorcerer uses a stone to make pure gold.

"You're under arrest." Arthur says as he catches Gwen's father in the act.

"You execute Gwen's father and I will never forgive you." Elizabeth says firmly.

"Take care child or I'll have you restrained." Uther threatens.

Elizabeth rushes forward to the doors of the dungeons, but the shackles around her wrists kept her grounded.

"More than ever I want Uther dead." Morgana says to the same man, thinking about what Uther had done to her best friend.

"Then the deed is as good as done." The man assures her.

"Only if Uther dies will you be free, Merlin." Kilgharrah says before flying off in his cave.

"Wait! Where does it say in my destiny, includes murder?" Merlin calls after him.

"If you had the power of the life or death of Uther, would you kill him?" Merlin asks Gwen and Elizabeth.

**And that's it folks! Stay tuned for To Kill the King!**


	21. To Kill the King

**AN: Hey guys!**

**I am hoping to be on season 2 this week!**

**We're getting close to the special surprise!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Merlin, the torturers known as BBC does. I only own Elizabeth Malinor, and her thoughts.**

**Enjoy!**

Since the famine ended, I have never been more thankful for food. I eat it more gratefully, and sometimes I even take some from my meals, hide it, then give it away to the villagers. Uther caught me though, and he said I wasn't allowed to do that anymore. But it's me, so of course I ignored him and continued to do it. Then Uther threatened that he'd have three guards watch me as I eat so that I don't sneak the food, so I did stop.

Other than that, life had continued to go on as normal. I spent all my time with Morgana, spent some time with Merlin whenever he was free, and worked on my studies. Even though everything was so easy, I still hated having to do work. Morgana says I should be blessed that I can get an education, but what she doesn't realize is that I had an extensive twelve years of it, all of it far more advanced than this.

I was awoken in the middle of the night by a frantic Morgana. "Gwen's father has been accused of treason."

"What?" I ask, sleep still lingering in my eyes. I pull my covers off of me, and Morgana leads me to where Uther and Arthur were.

"Treason?!" I ask angrily when we burst in.

"Yes, Elizabeth, treason. The blacksmith was consorting with a known enemy." Uther says.

"Enemy? What enemy?" Morgana asks.

"Tauren. The leader of a band of renegade sorcerers sworn to bring down the King." Arthur supplied.

"And where is this Tauren now?" I ask.

Arthur hesitates a little, before finally saying. "He escaped."

"Well, then how can you be sure?" I interrogate.

"Because Arthur saw him with his own eyes." Uther tells me.

"Well, even if the man is who you say he is, you can't sentence Tom to death for just being seen with him!" I say outraged.

"We have reason to believe he was forging weapons for Tauren." Uther says.

"Rubbish! He would never do such a thing." Morgana says strongly.

"Every man has a price." Uther says, and Arthur slides a lump of gold across the table.

"Found this on the blacksmith." He says.

"So he was paid! He's a blacksmith. He could've been paid for shoeing Tauren's horse!" I insist.

"In gold?" Uther asks disbelieving.

"Maybe he did a really good job." I suggest.

Morgana intercepts us. "This is madness! You condemn a man with no proof!"

"I have enough proof." Uther dismisses.

Morgana and I are losing, I can tell. I turn to Arthur. "Arthur! Have you nothing to say?" I ask.

"Father, the blacksmith committed a crime, but we don't know for certain he meant treason." Arthur points out.

"No. You're right. Nothing's certain. Save one thing. The law stands or this kingdom falls." Uther says.

"But the law must give him a fair trial!" I say angrily, my face going red and blotchy from my anger.

"He'll get a fair trial, and he'll be found guilty, 'cause that's what he is." Uther says.

I manage to calm myself down enough to say my next sentence with as much ferocity as possible, "You execute Gwen's father, and I will never forgive you." I lean closer to Uther, and whisper, "Never." Then I storm out, Morgana at my heels a few seconds later.

I couldn't go back to sleep, so I went to look for Gwen. I found her in the dungeons with Merlin and Gaius.

"Guinevere! I am so sorry!" I say as I pulled her into a hug. "I promise we'll get your father out somehow. What even happened?"

"He said Tauren came to him at the forge, offered to pay him a fortune for his help, not to make weapons, for an experiment or something." She said, looking from me to Merlin and Gaius, which probably meant that she was just telling them about it.

"What kind of experiment?" Merlin asks.

"Tauren didn't say. But he used some kind of stone...some kind of magic..." She says, trailing off.

Gaius abruptly left, Merlin following behind him, leaving me to comfort one of my best friends. I pull her into a hug again. "I promise Guinevere, I'll try and stop Uther from taking Tom from you." I know that Morgana slips Tom a key, so maybe if I convince her that we can probably find evidence that Tom really didn't know, then maybe we can actually save him.

...

Gaius and Merlin had let Gwen stay in their chambers, so I went along with Morgana to check on her. We walked in, and I got Merlin's attention by calling his name. "Merlin."

He turns around when he sees us. "Lizzie. Morgana."

Morgana looks at Gwen sleeping on the bed. "How is she?" She asks.

Merlin slightly shrugs. "She's doing okay."

"We should probably let her rest." I say.

"Yeah." Merlin whispers.

We leave, and Merlin asks, "Have you girls spoken to Uther? He must realise this is a mistake. Whatever Tom was doing, it wasn't plotting against the King."

"We know that. Of course we do. But Uther...Uther only sees enemies." Morgana tells him.

"But Tom is the gentlest soul I've ever met." Merlin says, and I nod in agreement, because, well, it's true. Whenever I take my walks in the village, I always make sure Tom is one of my stops so I can see him. He's always working, always trying to make a better life for him and his daughter so they can be happy. He truly is the best father I had ever seen.

"But he was seen with Tauren, and that makes him an enemy." I point out.

Morgana takes my hand, and we turn to leave. "Then..." Merlin says, his voice stopping us.

Morgana and I turn to face him, and he finishes, "...there's little hope?"

Morgana shakes her head sadly. "There's no hope, Merlin. None at all."

...

It was the next day, and I was in my chambers, trying to focus on my studies. But I just couldn't. I was too focused on Gwen and Tom. I wasn't sure if Morgana _had_ slipped Tom the key, but I couldn't worry about that. Strangely enough, I hadn't seen Morgana all morning. It's really weird, seeing each other is something that we do everyday. When you live with your best friend, you can use this stuff to your advantage.

My quil fell from my hand in surprise when I heard a wail from outside. The wail could only belong to one person. I rush to the window, and, sure enough, Gwen is crying her eyes out at the sight of her father's body, which is being carried off on a cart by a pair of guards.

I take deep, shallow breaths. I have been very patient with Uther Pendragon. Up until now. "That is the last straw." I say, and storm out of my room, only one destination in mind.

...

I storm into the room that Uther was in. "You have blood on your hands, Uther Pendragon! Blood that will never wash off!" I practically shout.

"May I remind you that you're speaking to your King." He says, standing up from where he was sitting.

"May I remind you that I don't give a damn? May I also remind you that a king is wise and just. You are neither. You rule only with the sword." I say angrily.

He turns to face me with a hard expression on his face. "You know nothing of what it means to be King. The fate of Camelot rests in my hands. It's my responsibility to protect the people of this land from its enemies."

I roll my eyes. "Then the kingdom is doomed! For one by one you make enemies of us all!" I say, pointing a finger towards his chest.

"You speak treason, Elizabeth." He says alarmingly.

I calm down a bit and lean away from Uther. "Only a mad man deciphers the truth as treason."

"Take care, child, or I'll have you restrained." Uther threats.

I half laugh and half scoff. "I would _love,_ to see you try."

...

"Put me down!" I yell, maybe two mintues later as I'm being dragged into a large prison cell by some guards. I kick and thrash, but their grip holds strong, and they manage to keep me down as they chain me to the wall.

"And you will remain here until you learn your lesson." Uther says firmly.

I stop thrashing to look at him. "'Learn my lesson'?" I ask in disbelief. "I am not a child, Uther Pendragon! And if it is a lesson to be learnt then release me now because I've learned it already! That you care not for me, or anyone but yourself! That you're driven mad with power! That you're nothing but a tryant!"

He's stopped listening, as he was leaving as I was throwing the insults after him. I run after the door that was about to close, but the hand cuffs chained hard around my wrists prevent me from doing so. I pull for a minute or two, before I sigh in defeat and collapse on to the ground. I lay down, and just play with my chains. attempting to open them, although I don't know why, since I knew that they wouldn't open.

It was always gonna end up like this, wasn't it? Emma had always said that the way I run my mouth will get me thrown in jail. Well I would love to see the look on her face if she were to ever see me, since she's right.

Maybe half an hour later (I really have no idea. There are no clocks here, and barely enough light in the room as it is. Certainly not enough to tell the time. Oh yeah, I also learned how to tell time using the sun, neat, right?) my dungeon doors were opened, and I sat up, praying that this meant that Uther was going to let me out (it really is filthy down here, and I _swear_ I saw a rat run around. I am _not_ getting the plague.). To my surprise though, some guards dragged Morgana in, and chained her as well. She fell to the ground next to me, and the guards left. She slowly looked up. "You too?" She asks.

I nod. "Yup. When I first heard that Tom was-was-" I couldn't say dead, it seemed too soon. "Gone, I was enraged. I ran to confront Uther before I could even think it through. And running my mouth led me here." I say, lifting my chained hands.

Morgana slightly chuckles. "I always told you that that mouth of yours was gonna land you in trouble." Morgana's said it to me too? Man, I must actually have quite the mouth..."But I am not better. I did the same thing."

I huff. "So what now?" I ask.

Morgana just shrugs and leans her head on my shoulder. "We wait."

...

The next morning, Morgana and I are awaken by the sound of the doors opening. We sit up, and see that it's just Arthur. I'm happy, because this means that I get to be released now. I've certainly learned my lesson. No more running my mouth to Uther that bad anymore. Just Morgana, Gwen, and occasionally Merlin.

Morgana isn't too happy though. "You." She says bitterly. "How proud you must be. Son of the mighty Uther. How you must look up to him. Does the King's little helper bring a message? Or have you just come to gloat?"

Arthur pretty much ignores this as he says, "Guards!"

Morgana stands up, pulling me with her, and backs away, pushing me behind her. The strain causes pulling on our chains.

"Get away from us, you cowards!" She yells.

She's being very protective of me. I mean, she always is, but more so now than she ever has been.

"You're free to go." Arthur says, and the guards remove our manacles and leave. I rub gently at my bruised, torn skin (from the rough material of the manacles) and wince at even the slightest touch. Morgana gently takes my hand, and we walk to the door.

"Morgana, Elizabeth." Arthur says, getting our attention right at the door.

We pause just behind Arthur. "Yes?" We say at the same time. It's actually kinda creepy how much we do that.

"I swore to him that you'd both never challenge his authority again. I swore that you two learned your lesson. Tread carefully. Next time, I may not be able to help you." Arthur says.

I actually did learn my lesson, and I was very grateful to Athur. "Thank you. You're a better man than your father." I say.

"Always were." Morgana adds, and we finally leave.

...

Instead of going back to her own chambers, Morgana follows me to mine. Something about how she just wanted to double check that I was fine before she went back. We enter, and Gwen is sitting on my bed. She quickly stands up when she sees us.

"My Ladies!" Gwen said worriedly.

"Gwen. I didn't expect to see you here.' I say, walking over to my wardrobe. I really just wanted to change my clothes, have a little food, maybe even have Gaius patch up my wounds before crawling into my bed for proper sleep.

Gwen took in the state of the both of us. "What happened to you?!"

"Nothing." Morgana and I say at the same time. "Well, nothing a hot bath wouldn't fix." I add.

My sleeve slipped down, revealing my sores, and Gwen gasps at the sight of them. She quickly takes Morgana's hands, and pulls her sleeves up, revealing almost identical wounds. Gwen quickly drops Morgana's hands when she realizes how she behaved, but it doesn't faze Morgana.

"We spent the night in the dungeon." Morgana explains.

One word from Gwen. "Uther."

"He doesn't really like to be challenged." I say sarcastically.

"It wasn't about my father, was it?" Gwen asks worriedly.

I shake my head, dismissing it. "You have enough to deal with without worrying about such things."

Gwen shakes her head in disbelief. "You shouldn't have done that! Not on my behalf. If anything happened to you or Morgana," Gwen's head turned to my raven haired friend, "I couldn't bear it."

Morgana decides to change the subject. "You need to go home, Gwen. Get some rest. Please."

"I'm fine, My Lady." Gwen insists.

"We insist." I tell her.

Gwen walks past Morgana and I with her head bowed, picking up a hair brush.

"Gwen?' I said, trying to get her attention.

Gwen stops, her back to us, and I remembered from the episode that she was trying not to cry. "Gwen?" Morgana tries this time.

"I can't go home!" Gwen finally admits.

I gently touch her shoulder. "It's understandable to feel so alone." Some nights I lay in bed and cry at the thought that I may never see Emma, or my grandparents (who were way better than my parents) and my parents ever again, even though they were awful. All I really had here for family was Arthur, Morgana, Merlin, Gwen, and Gaius. Not that big.

"Tauren.." Gwen says softly.

"Tauren?!" Morgana repeats, louder.

"He attacked me. He threatened me. He was looking for some kind of stone." Gwen tells us, turning to face us.

"Stone?" I ask. Morgana's face crosses with recognition, but she hides it quickly. I remember in the episode that Morgana had went to Gwen's house and found the stone that Tauren needed.

"He said if I didn't bring it to him, he'd kill me. He's waiting for me in the Darkling Woods. I have to do something. If I don't get this stone to him by dawn tomorrow..." Gwen can't even finish the sentence.

Morgana suddenly turns around, and walks off. "Wait, where are you going, Morgana?" I ask.

"What are you going to do?" Gwen asks.

"I'm going to send the guards, of course. It won't be you that Tauren meets. It'll be the Knights of Camelot." Morgana says, and with that, she leaves.

I turn to Gwen. Noticing that she really needs a distraction, I smile gently at her and say, "How about that bath?"

...

I know that this episode ends with Morgana saving Uther, so I busy myself with keeping Gwen occupied. I was always with her, always trying to find something not that hard for her to work on.

Morgana was distant, which was weird. I mean, I knew that she was working with Tauren, but she really didn't have to act like that with me. I mean, we were best friends. I really wanted to soak up nice Morgana for as long as I can.

I was walking with Gwen in the corridors when we pass by Arthur's room. Merlin was standing inside, staring out the window and I stopped Gwen. I hadn't really spoken to Merlin recently, and I missed my other raven haired friend. Gwen and I walked inside. "Merlin?" I call, getting his attention. Gwen and I are at the window.

"Gwen. Lizzie. How are you doing?" He asks absentmindedly.

"I was about to ask you the same question." I say.

"I'm fine. Fine." He tries to reassure me.

Gwen looks out the window, where Morgana, Uther, and a couple of guards are leaving to visit Morgana's father's grave. At least, I hope that everything goes to plan. Everything has, so far. And I think season 1 is almost up if this is To Kill The King, which I think it is.

"Morgana's been amazing these last few days. And so have you." Gwen comments, and says the last part while turned to face me.

"I think you've been amazing. After all that's happened, getting your life back together..." I say, trailing off.

"It's better than sitting in an empty house, waiting for my father to walk through the door. The thing I find hardest to bear is that people will always think he was guilty because he tried to escape." Gwen says.

"We all know he was innocent." Merlin says, hoping it will make her feel better.

"I think he tried to escape because he knew that whatever he said or did he'd be killed. Uther had already made up his mind. That's the kind of man he is." Gwen says. I think this is really the only time I've ever heard Gwen express herself this freely. I guess in light of recent events she feels more comfortable about talking about this stuff in front of someone like me. But I'm her friend, it's not like I would rat her out.

"I wouldn't blame you if you wanted him dead." Merlin says, pretty much out of the blue. I know it's only because he doesn't know if he should let Uther die or not, so this is his Merlin-sneaky-way of asking for another opinion that's not Gaius's.

"If Uther died I'd feel nothing. He means nothing to me." Gwen admits.

Merlin turns to me. "What about you?" he asks. "Would you feel something if Uther died?"

Whoa, whoa, don't gang up on me. Think before you speak, Lizzie. "Uther has raised me since my parents died. Saying that he isn't anything to me at all would be a lie. He means something to me, just not a lot. I mean, certainly not the magnitude that I feel for Morgana, or you two." Yes! Smart answer!

"But if you had...you know...the choice, what would you do? If you had the power of life and death over Uther, would you kill him? For what he did?" Merlin asks.

"No!" Gwen says without a moments hesitation.

"No?" Merlin asks, perplexed.

"What woud that solve? That would make me a murderer. That would make me as bad as him." Gwen points out.

Merlin turns to me for my opinion. I take a deep breath before I say, "I have to agree with Guinevere. I'm being a hypocrite if I let Uther die with that knowledge." Now before you say anything, I also have the knowledge that Merlin and Morgana would save him. Yeah, I'm a lazy bones heroine, deal with it.

"You're right. Of course you're right." Merlin says, then he runs out of the room.

"Is anything wrong?!" Gwen asks.

"No, no! See you later!" Merlin's distant voice says.

Gwen just turns to me with a confused look on her face.

I just shrug my shoulders. "It's Merlin." He really doesn't need an explanation.

...

The next day, I was having tea with Morgana. I gave Gwen the rest of the day off, since I really worked her to the bone to keep her distracted, but today I decided that she deserved time to herself. I was pouring the tea when she suddenly blurts, "I almost killed Uther."

I'm not really surprised by the news, but the way that she said it, so casually, so nonchalantly, that is surprises me, and I stumble forward a little, sending the water over the table. I set the pot down. "What?" I ask.

"Yesterday, when I went on my ride with Uther. Remember that day when Gwen said that Tauren needed that stone?"

I nod my head. How could I forget? I spent the night in the dungeons. At least I could cross that off my bucket list!

"Well, I had found the stone. I didn't send the Knights of Camelot; I sent myself. I made a plan with Tauren to have Uther killed. But at my father's grave, Uther began saying all those nice things-he even said that he regretted killing Gwen's father!-that I decided that I couldn't let him die." She finishes.

I lean over, and cup Morgana's cheeks. "I am not going to say that I support what you did. But I do understand why you did it." I really did. Uther could truly be an awful human being sometimes. But sometimes, he could be a nice person. But it wasn't often.

Morgana still looked a little down and upset with herself, so I tried cheering her up. "Hey." I say, getting her full attention. "Maybe we can go for a ride before dinner."

Morgana smiles really big. "I'd really like that."

We abandoned the tea set, and we left to go fill our afternoon.

**TBC...**

**Really short, not very detailed, only because I didn't particularly enjoyed to Kill the King, and a lot of the scenes would have remained the same with Lizzie. Just wasting my time rewriting the part.**

**Guys, NEXT CHAPTERS ARE THE SEASON 1 FINALE. WHO IS AS EXCITED AS I AM?**

**FOR THAT, AND MY OWN SPECIAL SURPRISE? **

**Lizzie's outfits on Polyvore!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**

**(NOT doing the preview for this chapter as I am very tired. Either way, stay tuned for Le Morte D'Arthur!)**


	22. Le Morte D'Arthur

**AN: OMG GUYS WE MADE IT.**

**WE MADE IT TO THE SEASON 1 FINALE. WHO IS AS EXCITED AS I AM?**

**Disclaimer: Merlin doesn't belong to me. I only own Elizabeth Malinor!**

**Enjoy!**

It's been a while since I blew up at Uther, and since then, we've been pretty cool. He's not _as _controlling anymore. So again, when I heard from Merlin that he and Arthur were going hunting (seriously Merlin tells me everything), I asked Uther if I go go with them. And he agreed, no problem.

"I still don't understand why you insist on coming with us all the time." Arthur says to me.

"It's entertaining." I say, and it actually is. Even with Morgana and Gwen with me, I get easily bored. I have the attention span of a gnat.

Arthur just rolls his eyes and turns to Merlin. "Merlin, spear."

Merlin moves to hand the spear to Arthur, but accidently drops it on him instead. Arthur rolls his eyes again and yanks it from the ground. "Do you have any natural gifts Merlin?" He asks.

"No." Merlin says. "Well, let me think. I'm not naturally rude."

"Or insensitive." I add, just trying to help him feel better.

"Just naturally irritating." Arthur says.

We move forward and hear growling noises. Merlin looks frightened, and Arthur catches Merlin's expression.

"It's probably more scared of you than you are of it." Arthur says. Then he turns to me and sees my lack of reaction. "Elizabeth is less scared than you are."

Arthur signals to his knights where to go. I still don't really understand most of the hand gestures, so I just stick to Arthur again.

Out of nowhere, the monster from the episode, the Questing Beast, jumps out at us. We all just stand there for a few seconds, shell shocked, before Arthur drops his spear, and we all begin to run. Me, being the dunce that I am, just stood there, completely absorbed by the structure of the beast. There's a difference between seeing everything in real life and on a tv.

"Elizabeth!" Arthur's voice yells, and he grabs me by the arm. I snap out of my trance, and we run. We catch up to the group, and we see Merlin fall. Arthur and Sir Bedivere help him up, but Bedivere subsequently falls behind. I try to run back to help him, but another knight grabs me and pushes me forward.

We get far enough away from the beast, and we stop running to regroup. "Have we lost it?" Merlin asks.

Arthur stops to recount everybody. "Who's missing?" He asks.

I know who's missing. "Where's Sir Bedivere?" I ask.

Suddenly, we can hear Sir Bedivere screaming in the distance. The sound sends chills up my spine, and tears spring into my eyes. I couldn't help it. I went to Arthur and leaned my head on his chest in my despair. I feel his strong hand come up and gently rub my back. That scream will literally haunt my nightmares.

...

I stood with Arthur in the throne room where the entire council was, including Merlin, to discuss the Questing Beast.

"The creature you describe has all the characteristics of the Questing Beast." Gaius tells us.

"Surely that's a myth." Arthur says.

"According to the old books, the appearance of the Questing Beast is supposed to foreshadow a time of great upheaval." Gaius explains.

"Gaius, it's an old wives' tale." Uther tries to dismiss.

"Look, whatever it is, it's spreading panic." I say, fed up with Uther's insistence.

Arthur nods in agreement. "The people fear it will enter the city."

"Then we must kill it." Uther concludes. He turns to his son. "Arthur, gather the guard together. You ride at dawn."

Arthur nods, and everybody leaves to carry out the King's request. Uther gives me a look, and I quickly decipher that as one for me to leave. I do, but as soon as no one's in sight, I lean my ear against the door to eavesdrop. I can't really hear anything, so when a servant passes by holding a tray with glasses on it, I take one off of it. I've seen people do this on TV, I just hope it works in real life.

I put the goblet against the door, and lean my ear on the goblet. It's not that strong, but I can hear Gaius's and Uther's voice. Victory!

"I beg you, Sire, do not dismiss this. The beast is an omen. I've seen it come before, the night your wife Ygraine passed away." Gaius says. I honestly think Ygraine was brought up maybe three times in the seasons after this.

"I've told you not to speak of that night again. I have conquered the Old Religion. It's warnings mean nothing to me now. Arthur will destroy the beast and we will no longer suffer at its hand." Uther says.

I hear scuffling, and footsteps around at the door. My eyes widen when I realize that they're about to leave the room. I quickly scramble away from the door, and hide behind a post thingy. Gaius, however, is the only person that leaves the room. I know he's going to talk about the beast with Merlin, so I have to be there too, because I already know about everything, and it would look really strange if I knew all this without having been told.

...

So I wait maybe ten minutes (the amount of time I'm guessing it takes for Gaius to get to his chambers) then leave for the chambers myself.

I knock, then enter and go to stand where Gaius and Merlin were."Gaius, in the throne room, what you said about the beast. Is it true?"

Gaius nods, and I see him take out a book. "This is no ordinary beast." Gaius looks over to Merlin, who was sharpening a sword, clearly not paying attention. "Merlin." Gaius says, trying to get Merlin's attention.

"Don't worry." Merlin says, all happy go lucky.

"No, listen to me, you don't understand. Uther may not respect the Old Religion, but it is very real. To face a beast such as this, you must understand where it came from." Gaius explains.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asks, perplexed.

"At the very heart of the Old Religion lies the magic of life and death itself. The Questing Beast carries that power. One bite, you die, and there is no cure." Gaius says.

"Well, then Arthur and his knights could be in grave danger." I conclude. Oh, man...

...

I awoke early, and went to go watch the knights prepare to leave.

"You've seen the foe we face. It's a creature of nightmare, but you are the best knights in the realm. We can, and we will, kill it before it harms another citizen of our kingdom." Arthur says to them, drawing his sword. "For the love of Camelot!" He says, and the rest of his knights follow suit.

"Arthur!" A voice calls out, and everyone turns their attention to the front of the palace, where a frantic Morgana was running down the steps of.

"Morgana, what are you doing?" Arthur asks.

"You cannot face this!" She cries.

Morgana tries to grab him, and Arthur struggles with her. "Morgana, go back to bed. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Please, Arthur. I have seen terrible things! You cannot go!" She pleads.

Merlin whispers something to Arthur, but I can't hear it.

"No! I will not let you go!" Morgana argues.

Arthur says something to Merlin, but I'm too far away to hear it. Then I just give up and step in.

"No!" Morgana screams, and Arthur hands her off to Merlin and motions for the guards to come down. Merlin guides Morgana up the steps. I go up to them, and grab Morgana by her arms.

"I will make sure he's safe, My Lady. I promise." Merlin tries to assure her.

"Let her go, Merlin." I say, scarily calm, and he did. Now I'm supporting Morgana, but the other guards are too.

"No! No!" She sobs.

"It's okay, Morgana. You can tell me everything." I say as we go inside.

But she turns to me. "No. Lizzie, you have to go with him. You're the only person that I trust with something like this, you're just like me. Now go!" Morgana finishes, and she lets go of my hand.

I'm left standing there for a few seconds, before I run off to change into something better to run in than a dress and flats.

...

I stood before Uther. I still had to ask permission to leave. If I just left without telling him, I could get into trouble. "My Lord. I was wondering if I could go with Arthur and the knights to help kill this creature."

Uther looks up from his papers. "Absolutely not." He says immediately.

"Oh, come on! Every time I've asked to go hunting with Arthur and his men your answer has always been yes! What's wrong now?"

"When you went hunting with Arthur and his men I knew that there wasn't much of a chance of you getting hurt. Now, there is. I couldn't bear it if you came into harms way." Uther says.

Ugh, I really hate it when Uther is all nice like that! "My Lord I promised Morgana that I would go with them. That was the only thing keeping her calm. If I break that promise, she'll never forgive me."

Uther sits back and pauses before he answers. "I know how close you and Morgana are. And just because of that, I will let you go. But if there is one scratch on you, I am holding you responsible."

"I'll wear full body armour." I say happily before leaping forward to give Uther a hug. This was the first time that I've done this consciously, but I must have done it before. I pull away and run out of the room, hoping to catch up to Merlin and Arthur.

...

I found them quickly enough. "Merlin! Arthur! I've been looking everywhere for you."

"What do you want Elizabeth?" Arthur asks.

"I'm coming with you." I say.

Arthur's face instantly changes to one of worry. "No, you're not."

"Come on, Arthur!" I argue.

"Look, these last few times when you've asked to come along, I've said yes because I believed that we could protect you then. Now, I don't know if I'll be able to do that." He says.

"I can handle myself perfectly fine, thank you very much. I promised Morgana that I would come with you, and I don't break my promises. And Uther already said that I could come, so take that you pansycake." I say, then leave to get myself ready. I heard Merlin snicker, a smacking sound, and Merlin going, "Ow!" I laugh to myself at the mental image.

...

We're walking in the forest for what seems like forever, until finally Arthur finds gigantic paw print. "Let's follow the trail." He says.

I hear growling and heavy footfalls, and I jump.

"Keep close." Arthur says. He turns to me. "At the first sight or sound of trouble, you run."

I roll my eyes, but nod in agreement. We find a cave, and it looked like the beast's lair. Merlin, Arthur, and I split away from the group. I hear a hissing noise, and judging by the looks on Merlin's and Arthur's faces they heard it too.

"What is it?" Merlin asks.

"Shh." Arthur tells him.

We turn around, and the Questing Beast must have sneaked up on us, because it roared, and we all turned around. I couldn't help it. I screamed at the sight of it.

Arthur pushes me into Merlin's arms, and that pushes the both of us out of the way as he takes on the beast. Merlin leaves to go to another place in the cave where he can get a better aim on the beast, and tries taking me with him. I waved him off. If I was gonna be of help it would be here. I take out my own sword and hold it out in front of me in an offensive position. The beast claws at Arthur, and gets him in the chest, throwing him to the ground.

"No!" I screamed, and just as it moves in on Arthur, I lunge for the beast. I dig my sword into it's side, but it seemed to not have any effect on him, like the Griffith did with Lancelot. It turned to me, and knocked me out of the way, throwing me into the cave walls. My back hits it hard, and I fall to the ground, the breath knocked out of me. Merlin tries to distract it by waving his torch. "Hey! Hey!" He called.

Merlin uses magic to pick up Arthur's dropped sword. He uses what sounds like the same spell he used to defeat the Griffith in Lancelot's episde, and magically throws it into the Questing Beast, killing it. I get my strength back, and got up to go to Arthur. I get to him and start shaking him. "Arthur?" I bring my hand away from his chest, and it's coated in blood. Tears fill my eyes as I tried shaking him awake again. "Merlin!" I cried.

Merlin falls to his knees next to me, and takes note of the blood. "It didn't bite you. It didn't." He says to himself, as if repeating it would make it not so.

"Arthur?!" I cried out, trying to wake him up.

"Somebody help us!" Merlin called out.

We eventually did get heard, and we all went back to Camelot.

...

Back in Gaius's chambers, I help Merlin sweep everything off of the table. The Guards place Arthur's stretcher on it.

"What's happened?" Gaius asks. He looks to Arthur's wound, and pulls back. He faces the two of us. "He's been bitten."

"I tried to save him." Merlin says.

"You must tell the King." Gaius says to the guards, who all leave.

"There must be something you can do." I say to Gaius, looking back to Arthur.

"I wish there was." Gaius says somberly.

"No." I say, tears slipping down my face and on to Arthur's. "No. We've always found a cure in the past. We can't just back down."

"I'll find a cure." Merlin insists.

"Merlin!" Gaius says alarmed.

"Trust me!" He calls as he bolts for his room.

"Can you hear me, Sire?" Gaius asks.

"Can you hear us, Arthur?" I repeat.

"Here." Merlin says as he brings out his magic book.

"The King'll be here any moment!" Gaius protests.

"He can't die. It is my destiny to protect him. We haven't done all the things we're meant to do." Merlin says. And I'm grief stricken when I realize that they never get to, at least not in this lifetime.

"That is a lament of all men." Gaius says.

Merlin's face goes soft. "Gaius, he's my friend."

Gaius takes a deep breath before replying. "Then save him."

Merlin uses magic to flip through the book. He stops on a page, skims down it, then picks a spell. He holds out his hand to Arthur, and says, "Gestathole."

Nothing happens, so he flips through the book again. He holds out his hand to Arthur again. "Thurhhaele." But like last time, nothing happens.

"Maybe the spells need time to take effect." I suggest.

Gaius shakes his head. "The bite of the Questing Beast is a death sentence that no magic can overturn."

"Where is the Prince?! Where is my son?!" Uther's voice calls out from the hall. He enters, and his eyes fall on his son. "Arthur!" As he does, Merlin magically closes his book.

"Do something, Gaius!" Uther insists.

"I am trying, your majesty." Gaius informs him.

"Gaius will find a cure. He will not let him die." I tell Uther.

"I will do everything in my power." Gaius says.

Uther desperately picks up Arthur himself. "I'll bear him to his chamber." He says, trying not to break down.

The three of us exchange a look, and we follow Uther as he walks through the Square with Arthur in his arms. The grief is too much for Uther, and he collapses on to the ground. Four knights come to bear Arthur inside as the King weeps on his knees. I help him up, and let him lean on me for support. As I try my best to comfort him, I catch Morgana's eye through an open window.

...

A couple of hours later I find Merlin getting ready to leave. Shoot, that's right! Merlin was going to the Isle of the Blessed to save Arthur.

I run after him just as he's about to leave. "You're not going, are you?"

Merlin looks at me a little confused. "Where am I going?"

"To the Isle of the Blessed." I say.

"And how do you know that I'm going to the Isle of the Blessed?" He asks.

Crap! STOP DOING THAT LIZZIE. "I learned about all this stuff during my studies. It's something that Uther requires. And I saw you leaving and asked Gaius if he knew where you were going. He told me that you were going to try and save Arthur. How does going to the Isle of the Blessed help that?"

He sighs. "Kilgharrah-you remember, the Dragon I took you to when we went to get the sword?"-how could I forget-"He said that the answer lies in the Isle of the Blessed."

"Then I'll go with you." I say automatically.

He smiles, and gently shakes his head. "No, Lizzie. I need you to stay here and take care of Arthur. You're one of the only people I actually wholeheartedly trust with his care."

He's not the first one to say it, so it must be true. I stand on my tip toes and throw my arms around Merlin's neck, giving him a hug. "Promise me you'll be careful."

He nods against my shoulder. "I will."

"Do what you have to do, just beware of the conscenquences." I say, thinking back to what happens to Hunith.

Merlin pulls back, his hands on my shoulders. "What do you mean?"

I don't answer, and just give him one more hug. "Be careful." I say again, and pull away. "You should get going. We might not have much time."

Merlin looks like he wants to say something, but doesn't. He just gets on his horse, and leaves. I huff, staring after him. I hope that everything goes to plan.

...

I went to go check on Arthur (because I had promised Merlin) and found Gaius asleep in the chair next to Arthur's bed. I gently touch his shoulder, and he jolts awake.

"Gaius? You should get some rest." I tell him.

"He must not be left alone." Gaius insists.

"I'll look after him." I volunteer. "I promised Merlin I would, anyway."

Gaius nods, and leaves. I sit on the chair that Gaius was sitting on. To be honest, I really don't know what to do. I'm an only child, so I never had to take care of any younger siblings or even older. I've never really gotten sick either, so I had nobody to teach me how to nurse. I guess I'll have to let instinct take over.

I say the towel on Arthur's forehead (to keep his fever down, again, not the best method but it proves affective most times) drying up. I took it off of his forehead. I look around, and I find a bowl of water. I dip my finger in it, and it's ice cold, so I assume that this is the water used to keep Arthur's fever down. I dip it in, then go back to sit on the bed to help him.

I know that Arthur was listening to Guinevere when she was talking to him, so no way would I be caught _dead_ saying all that stuff. I check to see if he's conscious. I clap my hands by his ears, and he doesn't react, which convinces me that he's unconscious. So I guess it's safe to speak out loud.

"No way are you gonna die. I mean, you're Arthur Pendragon. You can fight anything. I've seen a man inside of you, Arthur. A man that's just waiting to break free. And that man possess all the qualities of a good King, even if you are acting like a prat of a Prince right now. You really will make a great King. You, you know, just has to be alive to do so. In your eyes I can see a Camelot that is fair and just. I can see a king that the people will love and be proud to call their ruler. For the love of Camelot, you have to live. For your family. For all of us." I say.

His cloth quickly dries, so I go to rewet it. And I just do that for the next couple hours.

...

Merlin and Gaius burst in, Merlin holding the Cup that he had gotten from Nimueh. I moved out of the way for Merlin and Gaius to do their Doctor thing. The seemed intent on it, so I left to give them some more space. Uther enters, and after a few minutes, Gaius and Merlin leave. I turn to them instantly.

"Is he okay? Will he be okay?" I ask quickly.

Merlin looks to Gaius before back at me. "He should be fine."

I sigh, and lean back on the wall. "Good. I don't think I'd be able to handle it if he died."

Gaius and Merlin nod, and they leave. I know things were tense because Gaius was angry that Merlin sacrificed his life to save Arthur's. Time to preoccupy myself. I bump into Morgana, who was checking on Arthur. I assure her that Arthur would be fine, and we spend some time together. It took my mind off of Arthur, that's for sure.

...

I went to check on Arthur, just to see if he was recovering well enough. I gently open the door, and seeing that Uther was gone, I stepped in. I walked up to Arthur's bed as quietly as I could. When I got there, I studied his face, trying to find if something was different. I decide that I don't really want to tell by look anymore and whisper his name. "Arthur."

Arthur jolts awake and turns to look at me. I smile in relief. "Good. Just checking that you weren't dead." I lean away from his face and move to leave. Morgana wanted me to tell her if he was doing okay, but his voice stops me. His next words sent chills down my spine. "I can remember you talking to me."

Damnit! I am the worst doctor _ever!_ "You can?" I say, without turning around.

"You stroked my forehead." He said, his memories coming back to him.

I finally turn to face him. "I was here, but I was just tending to your fever. Any words must have been a hallucination." I say, hopefully convincingly.

"'All of the qualities of a good King.'" He says, repeating what I said.

"Hallucination." I repeat.

"Tell me again what you said?" Arthur asked teasingly.

"I didn't say anything!" I insist. I know my face is bright red, which doesn't help it at all.

"Yes, you did." He says.

"No, I didn't." I say.

"Come on. Something about 'the man waiting to break free.'" He said.

God, did I really say that? "I didn't say anything like that." I say, even though I did.

"So you admit you said something!" Arthur says, grinning in victory.

Okay, you totally walked _right_ into that one, Malinor! Time to escape! "I have to go. I forgot I was meeting with Morgana. Feel better." I say, rushing right out of the room. Man, he is never going to let me live _that_ one down!

...

I went to visit Gaius the next morning (as I usually do when I get bored) and stop in my tracks when I see Gaius crouched over someone.

"Gaius?" I ask, moving to get a better look. The person was the one and only Hunith, Merlin's mother, who was _covered _in sores in stuff. I would have vomited at the sight of her, if not for the extreme concern pulsing through my body. I became very fond of Hunith when I was in Ealdor, and it seemed vice versa. I fell to the ground next to them. Gaius and I shared worried looks when we heard Merlin's door opening. "Gaius! I'm alive!" He calls as he comes out.

He sees us both crouched on the ground. "What is it? What's happened?" He asks, growing suspicious.

Knowing that Gaius couldn't get up to stop Merlin, I do, and run in front of him. "Stay here, Merlin."

"What's wrong?" he asks, trying to move around me to see.

"Don't, Merlin!" I say, but he pushes me out of the way and runs to the front. I run after him, and his face grows grave when he sees it's Hunith. "Mother!" He cried.

"Merlin." She moans.

"What's happened to her?" he asks.

"She's gravely ill." Gaius answers.

"Do something!" Merlin insists.

"If I only could." Gaius says sadly.

"Please, Gaius!" Merlin begs.

"Merlin, this looks like no ordinary illness." I point out.

"This cannot happen." Merlin says incredously.

"Who did you meet at the Isle of the Blessed?" Gaius asks.

"Nimueh." Merlin answers.

"Nimueh?!" Gaius asks, disbelieving.

"It was as you said. She demanded a price, but I bargained my life, not my mothers." Merlin informs us.

"Merlin. I wish there was something I could do." Gaius says, with what looks like a heavy heart.

Merlin takes his mother's hand in his. "I will make you better. I will."

...

The next day, I wanted to avoid Arthur at all costs. So I woke up early, and went for a walk. I was walking, and a horse runs past me, Gaius on top of it.

"Gaius?" I called. He turns around a little when he hears his name, but just makes his horse go faster. "Gaius!" I yelled after him.

It hits me. Gaius was going to sacrifice himself to save Merlin. "Merlin!" I yell. Then I actually run to find him. "Merlin!" I yell again.

I get to his chambers, tears streaming down my face. By the look on Merlin's face, he already knows. I run into his arms. "Gaius, he's..."

"I know." Merlin says. "I have to go after him."

"I'm coming with you." I say.

He immediately shakes his head. "No, you're not."

I roll my eyes. "Oh my God, Merlin! I let you go alone last time, I'm not this time. Gaius is like family to me, too."

He finally just nods, and we both get ready to ride out of Camelot.

...

As we got closer to the Isle of the Blessed, we can hear Nimueh chanting. "Ic, séo héahsácerd, þe ácwile strengþe ealdan æwfæstnesse!" Her voice called out.

Merlin and I rush onto the island. "Stop!" Merlin yells. We stop when we see Nimueh leaning over Gaius, who was slumped against the wall.

She turns around at the sound of Merlin's voice. Damn it, I hate that all the evil ones are so pretty! Her dress was gorgeous! "Back again so soon, warlock?" She seems to notice me. "And you'e brought a guest."

"What have you done?" Merlin asks.

"Your mother is safe. Isn't that what you wanted?" She asks, stepping closer.

"Have you killed him?" Merlin asks, ignoring this.

"It was his wish." She says plainly.

"I bid _my _life for Arthur's, not my mother's, not Gaius's!" Merlin practically shouts.

"The Old Religion does not care who lives and who dies!" Nimueh explains. "Only that the balance of the world is restored. To save a life, a life must be taken. Gaius knew this."

"It is not the Old Religion that has done this. It is you." Merlin says, pointing a finger towards her. Yeah, you tell her Merlin.

"Come now. We are too valuable to each other to be enemies." She says, almost alluringly.

"No! I share nothing with you!" Merlin yells.

"With my help, Arthur will become King." Nimueh tries to convince him.

"I will make Arthur King. But you will never see that day. Ástríce!" Merlin says, and throws out magic towards Nimueh. She absorbs his attack.

"Your childish tricks are useless against me, Merlin. I am a priestess of the Old Religion." She says tauntingly, and a fireball forms in the middle of her palm. "Forbærne!" She chants, and the fireball omits from her hand and explodes towards us. Merlin pulls us out of the way, but some of the magic managed to hit me. I gasped at the pain of the burns that had begun to form on my skin, and I actually fell into Merlin's arms. I could see black spotting around my eyes, although I don't feel like I'm dying. The strong magic becomes too much for my human body, so it shuts down, throwing me into black.

_** Third person's POV...**_

It's been one day since Merlin had killed Nimueh, saving Gaius, which in turn restoring the balance of the universe.

However, it had also been one day since Nimueh's powerful magic had caused Elizabeth to fall unconscious. She was still breathing, although not very strongly, and her health was deteriorating by the second.

"Is there nothing else you can try, Gaius?" Uther asks, looking over the body of the daughter of one of his finest Knights, a little teary eyed.

Gaius shakes his head. "Believe me when I say Sire, that I have tried every single remedy that has ever been created. But it's not bringing Elizabeth out of her coma."

Tears actually do slip out of Uther's eyes. "I had promised her parents to keep her safe. Now look what's happened."

Gaius nods. "We should make her as comfortable as possible."

...

As the second day passed, Elizabeth had begun to pale. Her body's systems were beginning to shut down, and her circulatory system wasn't running as powerfully and normally as it usually does.

Also as the second day passed, the news spread about the Kingdom like wildfire. Elizabeth could almost always be seen in the village, so everyone thought it strange when she hasn't been there for two days. A servant from the castle revealed that she was gravely ill, but not that she was dying.

And as the third day passed, the entire royal court was in despair. Morgana, who hadn't left Lizzie's side since she came back, injured and unconscious, was beginning to let the thought that Lizzie wouldn't make it out of this one creeping in. Everytime she thought it though, she quickly rejected the thought.

Guinevere was in hysterics as well. She was trying to keep herself together enough for Lady Morgana's sake, but she was breaking on the inside. How could good hearted Elizabeth suffer such a fate?

Uther couldn't concenrate on anything, and refused to deal with any royal business as the health of one of his dearest family members (not by blood, of course) failed.

Gaius was very upset too, but tried to keep it in as he helped make Elizabeth's passing comfortable. He eventually did break down though, and Morgana comforted him.

Merlin had spent all day (when he wasn't serving Arthur, which, strangely enough, wasn't very often) and all night looking for a cure through magic to bring Elizabeth back to life. His attempts, although good natured, were fruitless.

And it seemed that Arthur Pendragon was the one suffering the most. It seemed that just as he went away from death's door, another person went knocking. Whenever he wasn't attending to his princely duties, he was with Elizabeth, just, watching her. A wonderful spirit like hers not being alive anymore just broke his heart. No one to bother him about tagging along on hunts, no one to just bother him in general. Morgana, he knows, would do it, but he felt like it wouldn't mean as much without Elizabeth. He knew as well as anybody that everyone would collapse without Elizabeth in their lives. He only wished that he knew what was going on in her mind as she prepared to pass on into the next life...

_** Elizabeth's POV...**_

__Okay, honestly, where the hell was I?

It just seemed like a whole lot of black. I walk around aimlessly for however long. I could feel myself getting weaker as I kept walking. I finally feel like I was about to collapse when I get to two doors. Yup. Two random doors from out of nowhere.

I'm about to approach the both of them before somebody literally comes out of nowhere. And I gasp when I see who that person is.

It's Emma, my roommate back in my old world.

She's standing in front of the two doors, dressed in a breath taking black dress, her hair a beautiful mess of coils.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"What am I doing here? Are you really asking that?" She asks me.

"Yeah, that's what I'm asking." I say, crossing my arms.

"The question shouldn't be what am _I_ doing here, but it should be, how did _you_ get here?" She asks.

"What do you mean, how I got here? I don't know how I got here. All I remember is blowing out that candle on my birthday last year and-" I stop when I see the look on Emma's face when I mention the candle. It's a little devious.

"You." I whisper when it dawns on me. "_You_ sent me here."

She smirks. "Very good. Now you're probably wondering why."

I nod. "Pretty much."

"I saw how much you hated it in the real world. How much you prefered Camelot to it. In a way, I'm your Merlin." She says. "After being told of my destiny-which was to make sure you fufill yours-I researched about you. It turns out, you have a destiny far bigger than mine. That being said, there are two doors behind me." Emma says, gesturing behind herself.

"I can see them, you know." I say.

"I forgot how sarcastic you were." She mutters to herself before speaking louder. She points to the door on her left. "This is the door to Light. If you enter it, you enter Heaven."

"So, I'm in Limbo right now?" I ask.

"Of a sort." Emma answers, dismissing it with a wave. She points to the door on her right. "And this is the door that will bring you out of your coma and back to Camelot."

"Camelot." I answer quickly. Then I speak slower. "I want to go back to Camelot."

Emma cocks an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You didn't even hear the catches."

"Fine." I say with a sigh. "What are the catches?"

"For Heaven, there is no catch. However, for Camelot, there is but one." She says, putting up one finger.

"And what it is?" I ask, completely fed up with Emma now.

"Limited knowledge." Emma answers. "The things that you know might not be the same."

Limited knowledge? Oh, she must mean that I'd forget what happened the past year. Well, if going back to Camelot and my family and friends means giving up a year of memories, I'm ready to do it. "I still choose Camelot." I say firmly.

Emma smiles and nods. "As you wish, My Lady." She moves from in between the doors to in front of the door on the right side. I move to open it, when I turned back to Emma. "Will I ever see you again?" I ask.

Emma just shrugs her shoulders. "We'll see what destiny has in store for you, Elizabeth Malinor. Only time will tell."

And that's the last thing I hear as I open the door, and I am literally sucked into black.

...

I drifted back into consciousness, and am about to open my eyes, when I hear a peculiar voice coming from my right side.

"So, um. I'm not really good at this sentimental stuff." Arthur's voice said. Arthur? Sentinmental? Those words don't fit right in the same sentence.

"But you were there on my deathbed, giving me support. Well, I'm here to give you some. And I know that everybody is saying that you won't regain consciousness, that you won't wake up. But you have to fight it. You've always fought everything. This should seem barely like a fight." A sniffle. "In that headstrong teenager I grew up with, I saw the beautiful, wise woman waiting underneath. But she can never come out if you don't wake up. So, just, please wake up."

Aww, and he says he isn't sentimental! That was actually so beautiful!

The sound of a door opening, and footsteps. "Is she any better?" Merlin's voice asks, a little hope in it.

A pause from Arthur (who I assume is shaking his head) and he says, "She's only getting worse. I think it's just a matter of time."

"I'll go get the King and Morgana. They'll want to be here." Merlin says.

I finally open my eyes a peek, and I see that both boys are looking away from me. Perfect! "Want to be here for what?" I ask with a weak voice. Their heads immediately snap towards me. "Did you guys throw a party and not even bother to tell me?"

Arthur and Merlin both break out into huge smiles. It totally warms my heart to see that they both care so much. "Merlin, go get my father, Morgana, Gaius, everybody!" He said, without taking his eyes off of me.

Merlin goes, and it's just the two of us. Arthur suddenly looks a little worried. Ha! He must suspect that I overheard him. Well, I did, ha ha! But now is not the time to do that.

Not two minutes later, Merlin returns, having alerted Uther, Morgana, Gaius, and Gwen that I was awake. They all ran in with huge smiles on their faces.

The first person to go straight for a hug is, strangely enough, Uther. He envelops me into his strong arms. I automatically hug him back. It actually feels pretty nice. The husky smell of Uther reminds me a lot of my father. "Oh, thank the heavens you are all right."

He pulls away, and I'm trapped in another set of arms just as quickly. "Oh, Lizzie. I thought I lost you!" Morgana whispers into my ear.

I laugh, and pull away. I decide to use what she said when she was dying of that black bug thing. "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

She laughs, and I'm hugging Gaius next. "Thank God, you're okay, Lizzie."

"Thank you, Gaius." I say. I get a quick hug from Gwen, who was, of course, thrilled that I was awake. The only people left to get hugs from was Merlin and Arthur, so I got one from Merlin first. I held my arms out towards him, and he looked around a bit, as if looking for permission to hug me. He eventually does, although it's not very long.

I finally hug Arthur next, and it felt so good in his arms. It couldn't last too long though, and he quickly pulled away. I finally look down to my wrists and notice that they're bandaged up.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You fell down the stairs and a candle fell on you." Gaius tells me.

I touch the taped up wound, and my mind instantly flashes to Nimueh and her firebolt coming towards me. This candle thing must have been a lie to cover it up.

"Right." I move to get up, really wanting to stretch my legs, but Gaius advised my against it.

"You need to rest. Your body was dying; it needs time to repair itself." He informs me.

I groan and lean back against my pillow. "So what do I do until then?" I ask.

"I could bring you some more material to read." Gwen suggests.

Morgana nods. "And I'm always here to keep you company."

Uther nods too, before clapping his hands together. "Now that I have been blessed with Lizzie's good health, a feast shall be held to celebrate!" Whoa, Uther called me by my nickname. He must be scary happy.

Everybody begins talking at once. Gaius mentions something about getting some medicine for me, and takes Merlin with him, cause apparently there was a lot. Gwen had to get back to her chores, and Uther wanted Morgana to help him plan the feast. So it's just Arthur and me in the room again.

"Hey." I said, turning my head to him.

"Yes?" He says, sitting next to me.

"I can remember you talking to me." I say in the exact same way he had me.

He freezes, but he keeps his cool. "You do?"

"Yeah. Something about you not being good at sentimental stuff." I say with a smirk on my face.

He rolls his eyes, but he still looks a little alarmed. "You were unconscious for three days. I'm surprised that you can tell reality from a dream right now."

"Something about a beautiful, wise woman waiting underneath." I say in the same teasing tone.

"You didn't hear anything Elizabeth." He tries to convince me.

"Something about me being better at you than swordplay..." I lie, hoping he'll slip up.

"I never said that!" Huzzah! It worked!

"So you admit that you spoke!" I say, mimicking Arthur's words. Oh, Karma is a bitch, ain't it?

Arthur abruptly stands up, his face flushing. "I have to go. I have some, prince stuff to take care of."

I smirk to myself as he left. Well, I figure I have about five minutes to myself before I'm ambushed by either Morgana or Gaius and Merlin, so I close my eyes.

I try to think forward, about the rest of the seasons and what's to come. But I came across one problem.

I can't remember anything.

I snap my eyes open, and sit up in bed. I try to think of what happened in season 2, season 3, anytime.

But nothing was coming.

_That_ must have been what Witch Emma was talking about when she said 'Limited Knowledge'.

She didn't mean Limited Knowledge about my past...

...she meant my future.

Well, this is a fine kettle of fish!

**TBC...**

**OMG ELIZABETH CAN'T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT THE REST OF THE SEASONS.**

**How will this affect our Heroine now?**

**Find out in Season 2 of I've Got the Magic in Me!**

**P.S Who liked that little surprise? I really did.**

**Lizzie's outfits on Polyvore!**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR WILL RETURN...**


	23. Season 2-The Curse of Cornelius Sigan

**AN: Let's go for season 2!**

**I AM LITERALLY SO EXCITED FOR SEASON 2 BECAUSE THE GOOD STUFF ACTUALLY STARTS HERE.**

**Disclaimer: Merlin does not belong to me. I only own Elizabeth Malinor.**

**Enjoy!**

So it's been a year since I found out that I lost my memories of Merlin. And what's worse, I actually forgot some stuff about myself!

One day Morgana and I were having tea, and Gwen was bringing in some cake. She set a slice in front of me, and said, "Here you go, My Lady. Your favourite."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "My favourite?"

Gwen and Morgana both froze at the lost look on my face. "Yes, your favourite." Morgana repeats. She stands up and kneels next to me in my chair. "Lizzie, do you not remember?"

I shrug. "I guess with what happened, I lost some of my memories. Gaius said that this might happen, but I didn't think it would." Seriously, I lost all knowledge of future already, why did I have to lose myself too?

Since then, everyone has been walking on eggshells around me. In the first few months after I had woken up, Uther always had four knights with me. Four! I managed to talk him down to two, and then one, and then I convinced him that I didn't need them at all.

I also wasn't allowed to go with Arthur and Merlin on hunts anymore, since Uther is convinced that something would happen to me. But it's been a year, so I've been thinking of talking about that with him.

The first thing Merlin wanted to know was if I remembered that he had magic. I decided to have a little fun, and pretend not to remember. And the look on his face was so sad. But then I burst into laughter and told him the truth. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy, but he laughed as well.

I actually spent a lot of the year with Arthur. He helped me brush up on my training, went on rides with me, and then we just spend random moments with each other.

Back to the present, I was being shaken awake by someone. I swat at whoever it is. I woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare, and I just wanted to sleep.

"Lizzie! Wake up! Do you not remember what today is?" Morgana's voice says.

"Saturday?" I mumble into my pillow.

Morgana, probably fed up with my attitude, pulled my pillow out from under me. "It's your birthday!"

"I don't want it to be my birthday!" I say.

Morgana actually tries to drag me out of bed. "Wake UP! I am not letting you spend your birthday in bed. Uther is planning a feast, remember?"

"Ugh, don't remind me!" I say, struggling against Morgana. Before I know it, I'm on the floor. "Morgana!" I shout.

"Get up, and get ready!" She says, and then leaves. I growl, then crawl back into my bed. No way is she ruining my sleep.

Not two minutes later I'm on the floor again. "Up! I mean it, Lizzie!" Morgana says, before she leaves again.

I groan, then lay on the floor with a huff.

...

Everywhere I went, people were wishing me a happy birthday left and right. I wasn't used to so many people wishing me a happy birthday. It was really nice.

Guinevere helped me get ready for my party (I'm guessing that's what I'm calling it). I wore a beautiful red dress, and Gwen did my hair.

I waited a second, then enter the dining room, and all conversation fell silent. I look around for a bit, then everyon bursts into applause. I blush, then walk up to the front, where a spot was waiting for me. Arthur holds my chair out for me, and I sit down.

Uther ceases all conversation, and raises his goblet. "Tonight, we celebrate one of the best of my life. I remember the day you were born. Your parents were so happy." He almost tears up. "I only wish that they were here, to see the beautiful young woman that you have become. When you were so close to death, I was hysterical. I didn't know what I would do. I am so thankful that you live to see another birthday. To Elizabeth!" Uther says, raising his goblet.

Everybody follows suit, and I keep my tears back. I don't think I have ever heard Uther say something so nice.

The rest of the party is spent eating, laughing, and with music. In my old world, I probably would have just done something with Emma, like I did last year. If you were to ask me last year if I could have ever ended up here, I would have called you crazy. But here I am. With more friends and family that I could have ever wished for.

I actually got a crapload of presents, a lot of it from Uther. I got jewelery, clothes, _weapons._ It's actually ridiculous.

I'm in my room after the party, just unwrapping the rest of my gifts. Morgana wanted to stay with me, but I know that she's been having some troubled nights too, so I sent her off to bed.

"You've got some very lovely gifts." Gwen comments as I open them.

I look at her, then back to admiring the dagger I had gotten from Sir Leon (something about needing a weapon on me at all times, just in case). "Yeah. They really are."

Gwen looks a little shy, before she hands me a box. "I got this for you."

I give her a small smile. "Guinevere, you shouldn't have."

She shakes her head. "I'm your friend, and it's your birthday. I think it's something that a friend does."

I smile at her and gently open the box, revealing a dress. "Oh, Gwen." I breathe, taking the dress out of the box. "It's beautiful. You made it?"

Gwen nods shyly. "I did."

I stand up and hug her tight. "Thank you. I really do love it."

She nods, and asks, "Is there anything else for tonight?"

I shake my head. "No, you may go."

Gwen curtsies, and leaves. Just as she leaves, Merlin enters, holding a box wrapped with a green ribbon.

"Merlin, you didn't." I say, eyeing the box.

He nods with a smile. "I did. It's your birthday, please accept it."

I smile at him, then take the box out of his hands. I open it, and gasp at what it was. "Merlin." I say, taking out the most beautiful, breathtaking necklace I have ever seen in my life. "Where did you get this? How did you get this?"

Merlin blushes. "I've been saving up for it ever since I found out when your birthday was. I am also a very good barginer."

I laugh and hug him. "Thank you, it's beautiful, really."

He smiles. "I'm glad you like it. Now, I should let you get to sleep. Oh." Merlin says, digging into his jacket, and pulling out a vial. "This is from Gaius. It's your sleeping draught."

I take it. "A very nice gift, let him know." I say with a laugh.

Merlin nods with a laugh. "I will. Goodnight, Lizzie." He says, and he leaves.

I quickly down my vial, set Merlin's gift with the rest of my gifts, and lay down in bed. I lean over and blow out the candle, and lay in the dark. I don't know what's going to happen next. And I really hated not knowing.

...

For the past few days, Merlin has been complaining about a man named Cedric, who was apparently trying to move in on Merlin's job. I feel like I should remember Cedric's name, and it's tugging at the back of my mind.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." I assure him.

"I hope so. I don't have a good feeling about Cedric." Merlin tells me.

"I haven't met him, but I'm taking your word for it." I say.

Merlin nods, before looking up. "I have to go finish my chores."

I nod. "Okay. I'll see you later."

...

This time, my dreams are haunted by gargoyles and ravens. One gets so close to me, about to poke out my eyes as it squawks.

I jolt awake, screaming at the top of my lungs. "Ahhhhhhhh!" I look for my maidservant. "Gwen? Gwen!" I called.

Gwen comes running. "My Lady? My Lady, what's the matter?" She sits on the bed next to me and pulls me into a hug. "It's alright, it's alright. I'm here. I'm here. There's nothing to be frightened of. Shh, shh, shh." She soothes. God I'm sick and tired of these nightmares.

...

The next morning, Gwen fetches Gaius and he examines me. "What was this dream about?" He asks.

"A bird." I say.

"What kind of bird?" Gaius questions.

"I don't know, a raven, I think." I answer.

"A raven?" He repeats.

I get chills all over my body just thinking about it. "It was terrifying, Gaius. What do you think it means?"

"Probably nothing." Gaius tells me.

My nightmares haven't been coming as often since I got hurt. They came every so often, and really far apart. But they've been coming more often. "It's happening again, isn't it?" I ask.

"Elizabeth, one raven doesn't mean that your nightmares are returning. Are you taking the sleeping draughts I prepared for you?" He asks, and I nod in answer. "I'll get Gwen to give you something stronger."

"What, like a blow to the head? I've kept her up as long as I've been." Gaius gives me a look. "Oh, I'm sure she wants to."

...

"Cedric is what?" I ask.

"He's possessed by an evil spirit." Merlin repeats. "He tried to steal the jewel-you've heard of it right?" I nod, of course I have. "But it wasn't a jewel, it was a soul of an ancient sorcerer, Sigan."

"So what are you gonna do?" I ask. "You have to tell Arthur. He's been spending a lot of time with Cedric recently."

He nods. "Yes. I have to." He gets up from my room and runs after Arthur. I groan and lean back on my bed. Not knowing is really getting me no where.

...

It's late at night when the gargoyles come to life. I hear panic coming from outside my window, so I went to the window to see what was going on. One of the gargoyles flew right by my window, and I screamed. I pick up my skirts and run off out of the castle to see what was going on.

There's loads of people in the castle when I come down. I run straight to Gaius and he tries to hold me back. "What's going on?"

Gaius looked both ways before leaning forward. "Has Merlin told you of Sigan?"

I nod. "Yes, something about Cedric being possessed by him. Is he trying to get some sort of revenge?"

Gaius nods. "We'll have to hope that Arthur and the Knights can hold the creatures back."

"Right. Um..." I say, looking around. "I'll help. There's a lot of people here, you're gonna need all the help you can get."

"You should be resting, Elizabeth." Gaius insists.

"Oh and I'm gonna get it with all this going on." I say sarcastically.

Gaius just nods. "We need more bandages."

"I'll get them." I say.

I run back to Gaius's to get the bandages. On my way back, I see Arthur getting knocked down by the Gargoyle thing.

"Arthur!" I yell, but he's not responding. I run over to where he was and pulled him out of the way just in time, and the creature misses its hit as it sweeps down.

Arthur stands up. "Elizabeth."

I nod in acknowledgement. "Arthur."

"That thing could've killed you." He points out.

The thing is about to sweep down behind Arthur. "And it still might!" I say, my eyes widening. The only thing I can think to do is knock Arthur forward, me landing on top of him. "Sorry." I say.

"No. My pleasure." Arthur says, which causes me to blush. I get off of him and help him up. "Come on, you're hurt."

I helped him inside, and sat him down. I quickly check his wound, and grimace at the look of it. He groans when I touch it. "Sorry. I'll get you something to stop the bleeding." I go to get some bandages, but Arthur's voice stops me. "Elizabeth?"

I turn around. "Yes?"

"I wanted to say...just, uh...even though I've known you my whole life...you always surprise me." He tells me.

I roll my eyes. "A thank you would have been nice too, you know." I say with a smirk.

"I was getting to that." He said in an exasperated tone.

"Give me a minute, I'll be right back." I say, and try push the blush on my face out.

Morgana helps me patch up Arthur, and as we're doing so Uther comes running to see if he's okay. "Arthur." He says worriedly.

"It's nothing." Arthur insists as Morgana and I continue to work.

"Have we driven the creatures out?" Uther asks.

"They have control of the lower town. The market has been all but destroyed." Arthur answers.

"How many dead?" Uther asks next.

"Too many to number." Arthur says, almost somberly.

Uther pauses for a long beat before speaking again. "I'm sealing the citadel."

"You can't!" Arthur protests.

"I have no choice." Uther tells him. "I have to protect those who have a chance. If I don't, we will all fall."

Before we can stop him, Arthur stands up. "Where are you going?" Uther asks him.

"There are people trapped on the drawbridge." Arthur states.

"I forbid you." Uther commands.

"I'm not leaving them to die." Arthur says, moving to leave.

"It's suicide!" Uther exclaims, putting a hand on Arthur to stop him.

"It's my duty to Camelot! And to myself!" Arthur yells, before storming out.

After Arthur's gone, I run to Gaius. "Where's Merlin?" I ask. "I would have thought for sure that Merlin would be at Arthur's side."

"He's been thrown into jail." He answers.

"What? Why?" I ask.

"Merlin tried to tell Arthur that Cedric was possessed by Sigan and that got him thrown into the cells." Gaius explains.

I nod, the memory coming back to me, and I'm running. "Merlin!" I say, going to the bars.

"Lizzie! What's going on?" He asks.

"It's as you said, Sigan is taking his revenge." I say, then try to shake the bars. "Why haven't you used magic to break out yet?"

"Oh, right." Merlin says, and he gestures for me to step back. I do, and Merlin uses his magic to blast the door out.

I look down at the remains of the cell. "You know you could have just unlocked the door, right?"

Merlin waves his hands away. "It doesn't matter now, we must go." I nod, and we run.

We get to Gaius. "What are you doing here?" He asks Merlin.

"I have to help Arthur." Merlin says.

"Merlin, Sigan's power is far beyond yours." Gaius explains.

"I don't have a choice." Merlin insists.

"But Sigan is immortal and you are not. If you face him, he will destroy you." Gaius points out.

"But there must be a way." I insist.

"There is only one alive who is old enough to give us the answers we need." Gaius says cryptically.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asks.

"The Great Dragon." Gaius says. The Great who? Oh, that's right! That worthless Dragon. Funny he's the only thing I remember.

"You knew that...that I used to visit him." Merlin stammers.

"Yes, Merlin, of course I knew. You're a creature of magic, just as he is. I hoped that he could help you." Gaius says, and he looks over to me. "And judging by the look on Lizzie's face, she already knew."

Damn my face! "Well, he's taken me once, but only because I insisted."

"He helps no one but himself." Merlin says to Gaius.

"For Arthur's sake you must go to him now." Gaius says.

"I can't." Merlin insists.

"We have no choice." Gaius points out.

Merlin nods, then turns to me. "Want to come?"

I look around at the tens of people that are hurt. "I think I'm needed here more. You go on." I say, patting his back.

Merlin nods, then quickly leaves. I keep helping Gaius until we hear a commotion coming from the doors. "Seal the doors!" Sir Geraint commanded.

Uther immediately went to the doors in search of Arthur. :Where's Arthur? Where is he?" Uther made a run for the doors, but Sir Geraint held him back. "You can't leave him out there, he'll be torn apart!" He protests.

"You can't go out there, Sire! If you open that door, you will die! We will all die!" Sir Geraint points out.

"No!" Uther screams.

We hear a huge crash, and I'm pretty sure we all jumped. I looked over to Uther, who looked so distraught. Then I look over to Morgana, who looked just as worried as he did, and I acted without thinking.

I moved to run, but Morgana holds me back. "Where are you going, Lizzie?"

I can't tell her, she'll yell at me about how it'd be a bad idea. "I'm going to get some more cloths." I ease her hand off of my arm. "I'll be right back, I promise."

It takes a minute, but I get her off of me. Then I run for the armory. I remember in Mordred's episode of the secret doorway there. If I'm mistaken, and I probably am, they never ended up locking it again, so I can get out through there without being detected and without the creature being able to bust into here.

I run to the armory, and lift the shield off of the door. I tried opening it, but it was locked. I groan, then look around for anything to open the door with. It hits me, and I reach for the hairpin that I gotten for my birthday (courtesy of Sir Oswald) and tried picking the lock. To my luck, the lock clicks, meaning that it's opened. Ha! So that class that our professor was absent wasn't a waste after all!

I quickly put some armour over me (to try and protect myself, as I know Arthur would complain about it) then grab a sword and a shield, and crawl out of the armory.

I run the whole way, and I find Merlin destroying the gargoyle with his magic. I go up to him and say, "Good one."

He turns to me in surprise, but nods. "Thanks."

Then we both seem to realize that Arthur is out cold on the ground, and we fall next to him. I try shaking him, and he moans, which is a clear sign that he's alive. I sigh in relief and lean my head against his chest.

"Who would've believed it?" A voice says, and the two of us look up to see Cedric, or Sigan, coming out of the fog. "You, a sorcerer, and a powerful one."

Merlin stands up and I move in front of Arthur holding my sword up. "I won't let you hurt him."

"He's not the only one you'll have to go through." I say.

Sigan scoffs. "And you're going to stop me?"

"I'll stop you." Merlin states.

"We both will." I add.

"He does not deserve your loyalty. He treats you like a slave." Sigan says, trying to persuade Merlin.

"That's not true." Merlin states.

"He cast you aside without a moment's thought." Sigan points out.

"That doesn't matter." Merlin dismisses.

"But it must hurt so much to be so put upon, so overlooked, when all the while you have such power." Sigan presses.

"That's the way it has to be." Merlin states matter-of-factly.

"Does it?" Sigan inquires. "You're young, Merlin. Look inside yourself. You have yet to discover your true power." Sigan points to himself. "I can help you. Think, Merlin. To have the world appreciate your greatness. To have Arthur know you for what you are."

"That can never be." Merlin says.

"It can, if you join me." Sigan says. "Together we can rule over this land. Arthur will tremble at your voice, he will kneel at your feet."

All the while, Merlin's face actually looked like he was considering it. "Merlin, I swear, you consider this, I will jam this sword into you." I threaten.

"No need to, Lizzie." He says, looking at me. Then he looks back to Sigan. "I don't want that."

"Oh thank God." I say to myself.

"You'd rather be a servant." Sigan spat.

"Better to serve a good man that to rule with an evil one." Merlin says wisely.

"So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will." Sigan threatens.

Sigan, I'm assuming, left Cedric's body, because he fell to the ground, and a blue spirit came out, and proceeded to wrap itself around Merlin as he chants his spell. "Ic þín sáwol hér beléac, abide þæt ic þé álíese!"

I instantly drop my sword and caught him when he passed out. "Merlin!" I cried. I can't hold him up though, and I set him on the ground, brushing his raven hair back.

I see Gaius coming up, so I run to him. "Gaius, the thing possessed Merlin, I don't know if he's okay." Damn it, if I _remembered _anything, I would know if I should be worried or not!

Gaius moved me out of the way. "Merlin?" He calls out.

Gaius and I see Merlin walk out of the mist. He walks up to us, and when Merlin gets in front of us, he smiles and holds up the jewel with Sigan's soul trapped inside.

Gaius and I both laughed in disbelief, and Gaius hugged Merlin. "Well done, my boy." Gaius says happily.

Merlin pulls away from Gaius, and I gave him a hug. "You clotpole, you scared me to death."

I feel his chest rumble as he laughs. "I'm sorry."

I pull away. "I'm still proud. You did a good job." I say, punching him in the arm.

Merlin smiles. "I did, didn't I?"

I roll my eyes. "Merlin, I wouldn't have said you did a good job if you didn't."

"Well, I was just being sure." Merlin says.

"Are you kidding, how can you not be sure?" I ask.

And after that we argued the whole way back to the castle about Merlin stating the obvious.

…

I was with Gaius and Merlin in there chambers the next day. Merlin, as usual, won't get any thanks, so I went over to hang out with him for a bit in celebration. I also brought him a flower, which he thanked me for, and put it in a glass of water.

Gaius was preparing something for Merlin to eat. "You know, you won't get any thanks, Merlin." He says, stating the obvious.

"I'm not a complete idiot." Merlin says, defending himself.

"Key word being complete." I say with a teasing smile, and Merlin nudges me.

"There you go." Gaius says, setting the bowl in front of Merlin. "It's not much, but you deserve something."

There's a knock at the door, and Arthur enters. "I've come to see Merlin." He announces, and looks surprised at seeing me. "What're you doing here?" He asks me.

I shrug. "Why can't I be visiting one of my best friends? You got a problem with that?" I ask.

Arthur just shakes his head and turns back to Merlin. "I've not forgotten about your lazy, insolent ways, or the fact that you called me a clotpole, but I do have to admit that there was some truth in your accusations against Cedric."

Merlin perks up a little. "Does this mean you're admitting that in this occasion I was actually right?"

"Not exactly, no." Arthur says. "It means that I have a knighthood to bestow first thing tomorrow and no one to clean my armour." Arthur says, then proceeds to dump a huge sack of armour onto the table.

Merlin's eyes widen at the size of the pile. "All that?" he asks in disbelief.

Arthur nods, a smirk on his face. "Yep." He throws the bag in Merlin's face, then heads out the door. He turns at the door before leaving. "Oh, Elizabeth? Morgana was looking for you."

I scrunch my eyebrows. "Really?"

He nods. "Look, she just said to tell you if I saw you." And with that, he leaves.

I roll my eyes at his arrogance. "I better go see what she wants. Besides," I say, eyeing the pile. "Looks like you're gonna be busy for a couple hours."

Merlin hangs his head sort of sadly, and I laugh at the look on his face. "See you later, Merlin." I say, and turn my head to acknowledge Gaius. "Gaius." I say, and then I leave, shutting the door behind me.

It sucks to think that I can't even remember what episode was supposed to be next. It frustrates me to no end. I must look like I'm ready to tear my hair (or someone else's) out, so I quickly compose myself before heading into Morgana's chambers.

**TBC….**

**So that's the first episode of season 2! It should be getting more fun from here on out! I have more surprises up my sleeve, don't you worry.**

**Episodes that I think are boring will be typed into one quick chapter, usually not very detailed, so I'm sorry for that. I just feel like I'd be unhappy and putting it off during boring episodes and I'd be sad if I was disappointing you guys.**

**Lizzie's outfits on Polyvore! There'll be two: One for Lizzie's birthday party, the other for the regular chapter.**

**THE ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH MALINOR CONTINUES….**


	24. Season 2-The Nightmare Begins part 1

**AN: I'm back!**

***throws confetti into the air***

**I, am SO sorry it's taken me this long to update.**

**So after about two months of not knowing how to do The Once and Future Queen, I have decided just to skip to the next episode. I shall also be skipping Lancelot and Guinevere, unless you want me to go back on a hiatus to figure it out, to which I probably won't anyways.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin, the BBC does. I only own Elizabeth Malinor, and her thoughts.**

**Enjoy!**

I smiled at Gwen as she set down a tray of tea for Morgana and me. It's been really hard, not knowing what was happening in the episodes, but I was getting better with it.

Gwen poured the tea, and I thanked her as I took my cup. Morgana took a sip from hers, before making a face. "Gwen, it's a bit on the cold side."

I looked down to mine, and guessed that since hers was cold, mine was gonna be too. I started thinking about how she could heat it up, when suddenly, my eyes flashed gold. Since my eyelids were half closed, no one could tell that they changed colour for half a second. I felt the once cold cup in my hands turn warm. Cautiously, I took a sip of it, and it was piping hot.

I instantly put my cup down. How did it get warm?

"Is there something wrong, My Lady?" Gwen asked.

I quickly shake my head before smiling sweetly at her. "Nothing, Gwen. I would appreciate it if you could heat the tea up."

She nods. "My apologies, my Ladies. I'll make a fresh pot."

As soon as Gwen's gone, Morgana leans towards me. "All right Lizzie, what really happened?"

"What do you mean?" I ask nervously. Could it really be magic?

"You put the cup down as if you tasted something revolting. And I always know when you're lying."

I look left and right before leaning in closer to Morgana. I knew that I couldn't keep anything from her. A, because she knows me too well, and B, because she wouldn't drop it until I told her.

"When I looked down at the cold tea, I thought about it being warm. And before I knew it, it was hot," I say nervously.

"What? But how's that possible?" Morgana asks.

"There's only one way I can think of," I say. Then I say quieter, "Magic."

Morgana draws a breath. "You think it's magic?"

"What else can it be, Morgana? It's not just that. A lot of stuff like that has happened before," I point out.

"Well, you must tell Gaius," Morgana says instantly.

I scoff then lean back into my chair. "What good would that do? Him speaking to me like I'm a child? More medication to shove down my throat?"

Morgana was about to say something when Gwen walked back in. "Warm tea, I made sure this time."

We both smiled at her in thanks, but I could tell that Morgana wouldn't just let it go so easily.

-0-

The next morning, I had heard from Gwen that Morgana's room and set on fire and that her window broke. I ran around everywhere, trying to find her. I finally do, and she's in Gaius's chambers. I get to Gaius's chambers at the same time Merlin does. We both move to go in, but stop when we hear voices.

"What I don't understand, Morgana, is how the fire started in the first place," Gaius's says.

"It happened so quickly. It was terrifying," Morgana said back.

"It's alright. You're safe now."

"You're the only person I've told about my dreams. I know I can trust you, Gaius," Morgana told him.

"Yes, of course you can."

"It was me. I set the room alight. I started the fire," Morgana says. As soon as she does, Merlin's eyes widen, and he looks over to me. He raises his eyebrows as if saying, 'Did you know about this'?

I shake my head. I had no idea that Morgana had started the fire. I mean, it must have been mentioned in the episode, but I had no idea. I lean my head more on the door.

"I don't understand. Did you knock a candle over?" Gaius asked.

"No that's not what happened. I did it just by looking at it, the flames suddenly leapt higher."

"I could've been a gust of wind," Gaius tried to dismiss.

"It wasn't. It was me. It was magic," Morgana continued to insist.

"My child..." Gaius started.

"I'm not a child!" Morgana suddenly exclaimed.

"Last night was an accident. It had nothing to do with you. How could it have?" Gaius asked, and there was a pause before Gaius started talking again. "I am going to draw you up a fresh remedy that will make you feel better, I promise."

"No..." Morgana started weakly.

"You must trust me," Gaius told her.

A bit of scuffling, and we heard footsteps coming towards the door. I grab Merlin by the front of his shirt, and pushed him behind a pillar. Then, I ran to the other end of the hall, and made it look like I was walking down the hall. Morgana walked out of the room, and I ran over to her.

"Oh Morgana," I say, and envelope her into a hug. "I heard what happened, are you alright?" I ask, pulling back.

She shrugs. "Honestly Lizzie, I have no idea."

"Well, come back to my chambers, and we can talk about it," I say, hooking my arm through hers.

"Actually Lizzie, I was thinking of going to sleep for a bit, I didn't have the best night," She said to me.

I nod. "Of course, anything to make you feel better."

She smiles at me, and moves to go to her room. I run my hands along my arms, and can't help but feel like something bad was gonna happen.

I go back to my own chambers, and sit down in one of my big chairs, right in front of my fireplace. Morgana was sleeping, Gwen was tending to Morgana, and Merlin was probably tending to Arthur during his training. It was weird, being alone. Ever since my accident, I was never left alone. I shall take this to mean that people are actually starting to believe me when I say that I'm feeling better.

I shiver, feeling a little cold. As I stare into the fireplace, I decide to read a book for a bit. Still looking into the fireplace, I stand up to get it. When I turn around, I feel a sudden heat at my back, and smell the scent of burning wood. Slowly, I turn around, and scream when I see that the fireplace has been set ablaze.

I did that! I did it! There's no one else in this room, and I'm fairly certain that I didn't light that fire with stones.

A guard comes running in. "My Lady, are you alright?"

I instantly feel stupid for bothering this guard with my silly scream. "Yes, sorry. I thought I saw a spider. I'm fine, thank you."

He looked a little uncertain, but eventually left. Not thinking, I grabbed the jug of water on my table, and threw it over the flames, effectively killing them. After I had done so, I run to find Merlin.

When I find him in his chambers, I immediately grab him into a hug. "Merlin, oh my God."

"What? What's wrong?" He asked, pulling me away from him.

I step back. Why had I come to Merlin again? "I know you have magic, Merlin."

He nods. "Yes, I know."

"And you're my friend, yeah? I can tell you anything and you wouldn't tell me that it was silly?" I ask. "You'd believe me?"

He nods again. "Of course, without a thought."

I take a deep breath. I look back to the door, checking to make sure that I had shut it nice and tight. I look back to him, and whisper, "I think I have magic." Screw thinking, I've suspected it the moment that I came here with my dreams.

His face drops. "What? What would make you say that?"

"Yesterday, I heated up a cup of tea," I say, and he looks at me, as if he was saying, 'That's nothing special', when I continued, "Just by looking at it."

"What?" He said.

"And just now, I started a fire in my fireplace, _just by looking at it._ It's magic, Merlin, I know it is," I say, and start pacing in front of him. "What am I to do? I can't tell Gaius. He won't help me. But if Uther finds out, he'd have me executed!" I don't care how much I supposedly mean to Uther, I would not put it passed him to kill me if he found out that I had magic.

Merlin stops me by grabbing me by the shoulders. "Lizzie, listen," I stop, and listen to him. "What do you want me to do? Is there anything that I can do?"

I sigh, tears welling up. "I just want someone to say it. Someone to say it before I go mad."

He nods. "Fine, I'll admit it. You're starting to show what I did when I was a child."

"So what am I to do?" I ask.

Merlin looks like he's gonna say something, but he just collapses onto the bench. "I don't know, Lizzie. I really don't. Gaius helps me, but I don't think he'd be too keen on helping you."

"He keeps denying it whenever I bring the thought up," I say, starting to pace again. "The sleeping draughts that he gives me don't work. I still get the nightmares," I stop pacing. "You don't think that my nightmares has anything to do with my magic, do you?"

"I don't know, Liz. I honestly don't. I'm sorry," He says.

I roll my eyes. "You lot all are, aren't you?" I say.

The door opens, and Gaius walks in. "Ah, Liz. Was there anything you needed?"

I look from Merlin back to Gaius. "Nothing, I was just leaving. It's nice to see you, Gaius," I say, before leaving. I start walking in the hall, before I groan and kick the wall closest to me.

This whole magic thing will not be as easy as I thought.

-0-

That night, as I'm attempting to sleep, Morgana runs into my room, tears falling down her face. I immediately get out of bed before walking over to her, meeting her halfway. "What's wrong, Morgana?" I ask as I grabbed her wrists, trying to calm her down.

"I was laying down in my bed, about to fall asleep, when I woke up, and I looked at the vase in my room. The vase exploded, Lizzie," She says, continuing to cry.

"Oh Morgana, are you alright?" I asked her.

She shakes her head. "It's magic, Lizzie. I know it is."

"Have you spoke to Gaius about it?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "He wasn't there when I went over. but Merlin was. I talked to him about it, but that just made me more confused. I have no idea if Merlin believes me or not. He said one thing, then he said another."

"Merlin is confusing," I say, leading her over to my bed. "Lay down, Morgana, you need to rest."

She shakes her head. "No Lizzie, this is your bed, I can't sleep here."

"Morgana honestly, it's nothing. Please, I want you to lie down."

Wiping at her tears, she finally nods, and gets into my bed. I tuck her in, like I would a small child. I rub her hair back, and whisper, "Go to sleep."

I stand there until she does, and wander in my room. I was about to go to my big chair, but remember that it was by the fireplace, and I didn't want to do anything in my sleep. If Morgana could do it, then there was no reason why I couldn't.

I end up grabbing one of the extra blankets laying around in my room, and grab a pillow on the bed that Morgana wasn't using. I put the pillow on the ground, and lie down, wrapping the blanket around me. As I fall asleep, I pray that I had put enough distance between me and the stupid fireplace...

**TBC...**

**SUPER sorry if it's short! I promise that I'll try my best to go back to this story more. As I was writing it, it made me realize how much I missed writing this story. **

**Elizabeth's outfits on Polyvore!**

**REVIEW! THANKS! STAY TUNED!**


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